Of Females and Feathers
by Jasper Sealights
Summary: FiM. After an unexpected encounter with Gilda, Rainbow Dash struggles with her sexuality and who she is as a pony.
1. A Big Deal

**A word of caution:  
><strong>This story contains Rainbow Dash portrayed as a lesbian and hints of girlxgirl; if this is not your cup of tea, please search elsewhere for your reading pleasure. If you're here **JUST** to tell me that Rainbow Dash "isn't a lesbian" or that I'm "ruining the show," I have one word to say to you - CUPCAKES. But really, I don't care what you think. It's fanfiction - if you don't like it, you shouldn't be reading it.

**"Of Females and Feathers"**

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><p>"<em>Damn, Dash, I'm not gonna eat you," she said through a laugh. "You're so tense… just relax, alright?"<em>

_The blue Pegasus suddenly averted her gaze, the blush that was coating her cheeks only growing darker as she realized just how noticeable her nervous feelings were. She swallowed down a bit of them as best she could before again meeting the golden eyes of the griffon who rested atop her. _

_Gilda released another short laugh. "You want me to stop yet?"_

"_N-No! I mean…um," she trailed off before she could get much else out, again looking away for a moment. Hesitantly after, she gave a shake of the head, unable to keep a small smile of embarrassment from showing itself._

_She was nervous, yes, but also a jumble of so many other emotions, some of which she'd never felt up until now. Like the excitement that came from being so close to someone, so vulnerable. The desire for said someone to stay so close. _

_It'd all happened so fast: they'd been merely talking just a few moments ago, laughing, the way they always did, as the best friends they were; and now, they were in a position they'd never been in before, close, bodies gently pressed against one another, large griffon wings draped over her protectively. Her heart was racing. As it was the first time she'd ever done anything like this, Rainbow Dash was indeed a little scared…but she didn't want to stop. _

"_Then relax, and trust me."_

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><p>Perhaps she really had always noticed it, just chosen to ignore it – the way she'd always been more drawn to the female gender, and tended not to notice the male all too much. It was never something she'd thought about, though. Just something that'd been with her forever, that she'd assumed was harmless, and didn't mean anything <em>real. <em>Perhaps she _hadn't _noticed, however, how much this tiny way she had, had grown into something a little bigger.

Every now-and-then, she'd catch herself eyeing another girl, feeling an attraction to said girl's looks that seemed a little different than the normal, friendly attraction she had for those she considered her friends. She'd stop whenever she noticed it, a little confused by it, but she'd always kind of brushed it aside in ignorance, along with the fact that she'd never felt that way for _any _male she'd ever come across.

Then Gilda came along.

There had always been random girls that Rainbow Dash had found attractive, but none of them had gotten as close to her as Gilda the griffon had. The two of them had almost instantly become best friends when they'd met in flight school, and over the few years of being there together, growing even closer, was when Rainbow had honestly begun to worry a little about the attractions she had. Gilda was someone unlike any she'd ever seen, or known; everything about her only gave the pony more of those moments she tried so hard to ignore. It'd actually worked fairly well…until Gilda noticed it, and decided to edge on a little more than Rainbow had bargained for. But though it had surprised her, even scared her a bit, she hadn't been able to say no. She hadn't _wanted _to say no.

It was now morning. Rainbow Dash could scarcely believe the happenings of the previous night were actual memories now, _real _moments of the past. Nor could she scarcely believe she was a major part of those moments becoming memories. She'd always had that strange attraction to others of her gender, but she'd never thought she'd actually act upon it. But…she had.

Looking back, she could easily remember the touch of Gilda's sharp beak brushing down her neck, how wonderful it felt to have those brown wings around her, her breath and whole mentality being swept away from her as their bodies did things she'd never even imagined could feel so good. She could hear herself crying out for more, and she could feel herself truly wanting more. Now that it was over, though, now that all those sensations were memories, they didn't feel the same anymore. The only thing Rainbow Dash wanted to do now, was forget them.

She could no longer call herself a virgin. She could no longer cling to the old lies she comforted herself with whenever her thoughts were on females, and not on males. What she'd gotten herself into now was much bigger than anything else she'd ever done. And it frightened her.

A part of her felt like crying. But Rainbow Dash wasn't a cryer. She'd never been a cryer. Another part of her just wanted to disappear, go back to the safety of her own home and start over, pretending none of this had ever happened. She knew such a thing was pointless, though: these new memories would always be with her. As would the newfound revelation that she simply was not attracted to males, and never would be.

"What's wrong with you? C'mon, Dash, it's time to fly!"

It was almost as if the previous night hadn't happened at all with Gilda; she was completely unfazed, wanting only a few moments after waking up to head back to the skies. This confused Rainbow Dash, quite a lot. Wasn't having sex supposed to be more of a big deal? Especially sex with another…girl.

She looked away, shaking her head. "I-I'm sorry, Gilda…I think I might just skip lessons for today."

"Skip! Why would you skip? You're one of the best flyers we got!"

It was true. Rainbow was a natural in the skies, and usually loved flying, but today, she really didn't feel like doing anything. Everytime she tried to think of other things, her mind only wandered right back to the thought that she'd given her virginity to another female, and loved it. She almost felt sick inside thinking about it. And her distress was quite visible, especially to the griffon who knew her so well now.

When Rainbow had no response, Gilda sent a suspicious glance her way. "Don't tell me this is about last night. You liked it, didn't you?"

The glance quickly became a more worried one, as the thought of Rainbow actually _not _liking her first time passed through Gilda's mind; but Rainbow had certainly enjoyed it, wanted it, hell, she'd had multiple chances to stop it, and she hadn't attempted to take even one of them. Looking up to meet the griffon's gaze, and catching the worried look, Rainbow Dash immediately stood to her feet with a similar expression.

"What? No! I mean…I did like it!" The Pegasus gave a short whimper, crouching down now and covering her head with her forelegs. "I-I just…"

"You just what?"

"…I don't…like girls."

Slightly taken aback by the sentence, and very confused, Gilda raised a brow. "Huh?"

Rainbow quickly realized how stupid such a sentence sounded when compared with the happenings of the previous night. She obviously couldn't both enjoy being with a girl in that sense, _and _not like girls at the same time; moving her forelegs and giving a small groan of annoyance, the pony tried again.

"I'm not _supposed _to like girls!"

She looked up to Gilda after the second go, awaiting her response. For a moment the griffon only kept her confused gaze, while Rainbow's own eyes stayed hopefully widened. She'd begun to worry that she still wasn't making sense, when suddenly, a small smirk came onto her friend's beak, though she kept the same expression. Gilda laughed just a bit before regaining her normal, cool demeanor once again, and rolling her eyes affectionately.

She said, sounding slightly amused, "Honey, you can't just decide what you're _supposed _to like. Lots of girls like girls. It's not a big deal."

At the words, Rainbow's worry was overshadowed by a tinge of fear. She was nearly frozen for a moment, staring back at the griffon. How Gilda could see this as something that wasn't a big deal, she'd no idea. Maybe lots of girls did like girls, but Rainbow Dash didn't want to be one of them.

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><p>Flight school had once been enjoyable. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable things Rainbow Dash had ever been a part of. Now, though, she wasn't so sure how the rest of it would be. What she'd do about her new self-discovery, or her new loss of virginity, she really didn't know. It was very possible that no one would even notice the differences in her, except herself and Gilda, which was definitely what the Pegasus hoped for. But she couldn't help but feel like there was now some big neon sign following her every step of the way, pointing out that she liked girls.<p>

It was more than enough to make her wish she could forget all about the rest of her days there, and just go home, even if the sign wasn't actually there.

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><p><strong>Reviews &amp; favs are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading.<strong>


	2. Hidden Reasons

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 2 <strong>

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><p>It'd simply been too much for the young Pegasus. She didn't want to be a lesbian. She couldn't think straight, or even barely fly properly with the thought that she might actually be one stuck in her mind. For nearly a week she'd tried to brush it behind her and continue on with the current summer's flight camp as if everything was normal, but with no luck at all she'd finally come to her conclusion, and the only way she'd be able to get past the discovery: she needed to leave the camp, and go back home to Cloudsdale.<p>

Her current term in the camp wasn't over yet, but that was hardly a concern at all to Rainbow Dash at the moment. She couldn't go on with the state her mind was in; she'd just have to come back and finish her term once she'd gotten over her newfound issues. Gilda, of course, hadn't been happy to hear she was leaving, and had tried to convince her not to, to carry on until the near-coming end of lessons, but Rainbow had disappointed her, hoping the griffon wouldn't stay mad over it. She knew it was a stupid decision, to leave when this close to the end, but she had bigger problems now.

She was still young enough to come back for one more term of lessons, if she left during this one (which she had). The Speedster Flight Camp lessons were offered every summer for any young Pegasus, or other flying creature, who wanted to improve his or her flying; it was Junior Speedster for the younger ones, and simply, Speedster for the ones who'd already gone through the Junior. Rainbow and Gilda had been through all of Junior together, and the term after this one would be their last of Speedster – the camps were only offered up through the middle of one's teenage years. After that, flying was left up to the individual to pursue on his own. So, next summer, if everything was sorted out by then, Rainbow would consider returning to at least finish the term she'd now left.

But for the time being, flight camp was the least of her worries.

Rainbow Dash had finally made it back to her home, in Cloudsdale. It'd been a couple months since she'd been there, and while she was usually overjoyed to be back, this time was frightening. She knew her parents would want to know why she'd come back so early, but she certainly couldn't tell them the truth. She was still a fairly young age, especially to be having sex. It wasn't as if she'd be doing it again anytime soon, but…still. She wasn't ready for her parents to know about that yet, nor about the fact that she might be a lesbian. Until further notice, that was something she'd be keeping strictly to herself.

Nevertheless, she still had to get this over with. She hesitated another moment before giving the door a few solid knocks.

It was finally her mother who pulled the door open to see her, eyes wide. The two stared at one another for a good moment, Rainbow with a slightly pitiful gaze, and her mother with one of surprise: she obviously had not expected to see her daughter. After the awkward silence passed them, though, Rainbow's mother suddenly gave an exasperated "oh" and pulled her into the house, her surprise instantly changing to utmost worry, as that was just how Rainbow's mother was.

"Rainbow, darling! Why are you here so early?" she began frantically. "Not that your mama is unhappy to see you, but, oh honey, did something happen! Are you alright?"

The hug Rainbow Dash had been pulled into was slightly uncomfortable, but she said nothing, just allowed her crazy mother to get the overprotective worries out of her system. She tried to smile, though, even though her face was now smushed against her mother's chest. Rainbow's mother was a Pegasus like herself; both of her parents were. She'd inherited her sky blue coat from her mother's side, but hadn't inherited her mother's pale orange mane – the rainbow colors came from her father's side.

After a few more moments of hugging and frantic questioning, the mother Pegasus suddenly released her daughter with a quiet gasp, getting back down to all fours. She still appeared quite worried, as she tended to forget that her hugs often prevented any answers from being given.

She continued, "Oh dear, I'm sorry, sweetie. But please now, do tell me what happened!"

"It's alright, Mom," the younger coughed once released from the embrace, clearing her throat. Her mother's somewhat spastic personality could be quite annoying at times, but Rainbow couldn't be angry when she knew she was only worried about her; that's what moms were supposed to do, after all. Plus, with everything else she had on her mind, dealing with her mother's worrying wasn't the least bit difficult. She'd much rather _only _have that to deal with. "Nothing…bad happened, though. I'm fine."

It was partially true: it wasn't as if she'd been physically hurt by someone, or kicked out of the camp. Her distress was on a mental level, and in her opinion, it was nothing her parents needed to know about.

Still, her mother didn't seem anymore assured by the answer. "_Nothing _happened? But _something _had to have happened! You know as well as I do that camp isn't over for another month, Rainbow Dash."

"I…I know," she replied, averting her eyes as she racked her brain for an actual excuse. She really had no idea if her mother would buy anything she made up, but she had to say something. "…I didn't wanna stay there anymore, though…I…um, well…I missed being home."

Rainbow Dash hesitantly looked up to meet her mother's eyes again, brushing a hoof against the floor nervously. She really hoped her mother couldn't see right through the excuse, even if it was half-true. She _had _missed being home, but it'd been the incidents at the camp that'd brought upon the missing. A small blush began to creep over Rainbow's cheeks, and she looked away again, but no sooner had she done so was she pulled into _another _of her mother's breathtaking embraces.

"Oh honey! You were _homesick? _You don't have to say _anything _else! I told your father you were going to that camp too much! Don't you worry about a thing, you can stay home with us as long as you like!"

Again, the hug was quite uncomfortable, tighter than the last one, even. Rainbow was so surprised at how her mother so readily welcomed the "missing home" excuse, though, that she didn't even care. Eyes wide and face smushed against her mother, the younger pony tilted her head upward a little. She blinked, but soon attempted another smile.

She spoke as best she could through the embrace, "Thanks, Mom."

"No need to thank me at all, dear!" she replied, and loosened the hold. "Now that you're _home, _though, I think dinner is in order! So you go along and make yourself _back _at home, while I pull something together before your father gets here. Go on! There's even something waiting for you in your room! Just a little surprise we got while you were away!"

Rainbow's mother used her head to give her a light push on the rump, in the direction of the hallway leading to her bedroom. The push surprised her, almost making her stumble a little, but Rainbow caught herself and turned back to give her mother a funny look; she couldn't help but keep smiling, though, before following orders and hurrying off to her room.

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><p>It'd been almost two months since Rainbow Dash had been in her room. While she'd had it her whole life, she still never failed to feel awkward when stepping into it again after the few months she spent every summer at flight camp. She truly had no idea what kind of surprise her parents had gotten her, and was pretty excited to find out; the curiosity had even freed her mind from her newfound lesbian worries, if only for a short while.<p>

Cautiously, once she'd reached her door, the young Pegasus pushed it open, and flipped on the lights. She peeked in first, but instantly at the sight she saw, her eyes widened, and she dashed all the way in, looking around in complete, mesmerized shock. Her parents had decorated her room with three of the most amazing Wonderbolts posters she'd ever seen in her life. Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, only gazing one by one at each of them, jaw dropped open. Her obsession with the Wonderbolts had been with her for a few years now, but she'd never thought her parents would actually contribute to it like this; it wasn't even a special occasion! She was at a complete loss for words.

It was finally the poster they'd gotten of just Spitfire alone that caught more of her attention than the others, and got her mouth closed again as the shock slowly faded, leaving only mesmerism. Rainbow couldn't remember if she'd ever mentioned to her parents before that Spitfire was indeed her favorite of the group, so she didn't know if this poster was something random they'd done or not. Not that it mattered, really. Nevertheless, the picture used was breathtaking, as all pictures of the yellow pony were, in Rainbow's opinion.

Spitfire had only become her favorite this past year. It hadn't been a change she'd thought _too _much about, beyond the newer realizations of just _how _beautiful this mare was to her. Everything about Spitfire was amazing, and thinking about her only made Rainbow want to meet her in person more than any of the others. The thought brought a shy smile to her face, but quickly after noticing how warm her cheeks felt now, she gasped, tearing her gaze away from the poster and rushing to her mirror.

"No…" she breathed quietly at the sight of her reflection.

The blush on her face was completely obvious, as was the faster pace of her heart that could only be felt. She'd known it would be there, she just needed to see it for herself; but did she really have a…_crush? _on Spitfire? Not only was it stupid, as all celebrity crushes were, it was also just another piece of evidence that she indeed liked girls. She'd never felt a blush and heartbeat like this over a male.

"No, no, no! I don't like girls!"

With a devastated whimper, the Pegasus dropped to the floor and covered her head with her forelegs for a moment. She knew full well the statement wouldn't change a damn thing; there was no use at all trying to lie to herself about it. She'd willingly had sex with a girl, and liked it, and now she was crushing on another. At least she knew now why Spitfire had suddenly become her favorite, though…even if she'd rather the reason be something else.

Rainbow stayed in the position for a little longer before getting to her hooves again with a sigh. She looked back at her reflection in the mirror sadly, wishing she could get rid of her newer discoveries and go back to how everything used to be, before she'd hit puberty, before she'd had _any _feelings about anypony, male or female. Shaking her head, she turned back around to look at the posters again, but immediately after, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Do you like them?"

The younger Pegasus jumped at the words, quickly turning around to see her mother again. She blinked, eyes wide, as she'd indeed been quite startled, but before she could say anything, her mother continued.

She said, "Oh, honey! I'm sorry! I know I'm supposed to be in the kitchen, but I just _had _to come see if you liked them or not! …Do you?"

Rainbow Dash relaxed after the continuation, relieved to know her mother hadn't been there long enough to see or hear her reaction to Spitfire's picture. She smiled before rushing closer to give her mother a hug, which she happily accepted, again turning it into one of her signature squeezes. It was still shocking to Rainbow that her parents had gotten her the posters to begin with, and even if one of them had brought up the feelings she'd been trying to avoid, she was nevertheless entirely grateful, not to mention happier than she'd been in a few days.

"Like them? Mom, they're perfect!" she responded with a soft giggle.

Her mother gave a whimper of joy as she nuzzled Rainbow lightly. "Oh, wonderful!"

She kept the embrace for short while longer before letting go with a happy sigh, and rubbing her daughter's head with a hoof; she was obviously quite pleased with the response she'd gotten; it was almost as if she'd honestly spent a good deal of time worrying whether or not Rainbow would like the new gifts. Rainbow couldn't help but silently wonder if she really had, but said nothing. Truthfully, though, she would've liked _any _poster of the Wonderbolts. Another short moment passed before her mother broke out of the seemingly relieved state.

"Alright, well…I best get back to dinner. I'll call you when it's ready!"

"Kay," Rainbow answered as her mother turned to leave, and gave a sigh, turning back to her room again.

It really was perfect now, with the new posters. Even with the Spitfire one. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at her annoying thoughts, again trying to push them away. It was a poster, and Spitfire was the lovely leader of the Wonderbolts, whom she admired. That was all there was to it. And nothing, even if it _was _a crush, should keep her from enjoying the generosity of her wonderful parents. With that in mind, the Pegasus put on a smile as she approached her bed and dropped onto it leisurely, waiting for her mother to finish dinner, and her father to arrive home.

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><p>It'd taken a good forty-five minutes for everything to get in order, but soon enough, Rainbow Dash was headed back to the kitchen and took a seat at the dinner table. Her father had looked quite surprised to see her, and uttered a small "hey" at his daughter's slightly more excited-sounding greeting, which only made Rainbow feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable; she couldn't say she expected anything different, though. Her father wasn't a mean pony at all, he just always seemed a little indifferent, and always had been a good deal stricter than her mother. Though while he was more on the quiet, stricter side, he was also who Rainbow had gotten her mane from, and her speed; knowing that, the young Pegasus had always held a respect for him that even she sometimes couldn't place. He sure never showed off his skills like she did.<p>

Rainbow and her father were now seated at the table as her mother fixed their plates. They'd both rather just fix their own sometimes, but her mother always insisted that she do it for them, something they'd learned to accept over the years. Things were silent in the room for a moment, and it was finally Rainbow's mother who tried to start conversation amongst them.

"I know it's surprising to see Rainbow here so soon, honey, but she missed us and wanted to come back home for a while," she said as she finished his plate and gave it to him.

She turned back to fix Rainbow's now, as her father looked down at his own for a moment, then back up, waiting for everyone to be at the table before he ate anything.

"Alright," he replied. "She just staying for the rest of the weekend, then?"

The question brought a pause throughout the kitchen before Rainbow's mother finished the next plate, and came to set it down in front of her daughter. Rainbow lowered her head quickly, a small blush of embarrassment coating her cheeks as she knew her father wasn't going to be too ecstatic about her being home for the rest of the term.

Her mother continued hesitantly. "…Well…darling…she wanted to come back home for the summer, and I…told her she could."

There was another awkward pause before her father tilted his head over to give a confused glance to her mother, and then brought his attention to Rainbow, herself. The younger Pegasus met his gaze, though averted her eyes a quick moment, before trying again.

"You just left?" he asked her.

"Yeah…"

She knew her father wouldn't be happy to hear this, and she really didn't want to have this conversation. But she knew she had to. At least he didn't know _everything _regarding the situation.

"Before it was over?"

"…uh, yes sir."

He gave her a weird look. "So did you learn _anything?"_

"Well, yeah!" Her remark sounded a little too sassy than she'd hoped for, but she hated when her father tried to act like she didn't take anything seriously enough. Even though a lot of things, she really _didn't_ take seriously enough. Flight camp, though, had always been one of the few things she gave her all in, and this was the first time she'd _ever _come home early. Was that not even crossing her dad's mind at all?

When he raised a brow at her tone, she quickly looked away again, though she kept a slightly annoyed expression without even really realizing it. Finally, her father gave a sigh as her mother made it to the table with her own plate of food.

"Alright. What exactly did you learn then?" he asked a final question.

_That I'm gay… _was the only thing that came to Rainbow Dash's mind, but the thought only made her give a small groan of exasperation. She didn't want to be gay! As her mother had no idea of the _real _reason for the groan, though, she took it as a sign that her daughter was tired of the questions. Which she was, even if other things were also on her mind. Lightly, her mother bumped her father's shoulder with a hoof.

She said, "Honey, come on. You know she's a wonderful flier, she'll be fine missing one month. Let's just eat now."

After her mother's comment, things at the table became a good bit more relaxed, much to her and her daughter's relief. Rainbow Dash had planned on thanking her father for the new posters they'd gotten her, but with the previous tension, she decided it might be better to wait a little longer, perhaps when her father was in a better mood. Then again, it wasn't as if he was in a _bad _mood; he just never really liked it when Rainbow didn't pull through with the great expectations he had so often for her. It was just how he was.

The rest of dinnertime went along fairly smoothly, as Rainbow's father gradually got over the fact that she'd ditched flight camp's current term. Rainbow was just thankful neither of them had questioned her reasoning for leaving, even if her father had dropped a suspicious glance when he'd heard it. He hadn't said anything of it, though, and that was good enough for her.

Rainbow excused herself from the table once she was finished, and headed back to her room for some sleep. She was awfully tired from the trip home, as well as from her own now distraught mentality. She hoped things would be clearer once she'd gotten a good rest for the first time in a few days, or at least that being home would make things easier. Not having to face everyone at the camp, including Gilda, would be a nice change for a while, even if she did miss having someone to talk to who sort of understood her. Gilda liked girls too, right? She really had no idea, but she supposed so.

All her thoughts soon dissipated, though, as the world around her went dark, and she fell into slumber.

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><p><strong>Just a couple things...<strong>

**At the time I wrote this, Rainbow Dash's parents didn't have names; they do have names now, so expect to see them in chapter three. Rainbow's dad's name is Rigel Dash, and her mom's name is Breezie Lights. I'm not using Dash as a last name because I just don't like that (no offense to anyone who does), but I do think Rainbow was partially named after her father, so I kept the Dash in his name. **

**And thank you so much to all my readers, especially those who were generous enough to give feedback! I was really nervous about posting that first chapter, but now I feel so much better. You guys are the best, and I hope you enjoyed chapter two! Stay tuned for future chaps!**

**Reviews & favs are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading. (:**


	3. Dreams & Reality

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 3 <strong>

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><p>Being home again had turned out to be exactly what Rainbow Dash needed. It'd been just over a few weeks since she'd gotten back home, and while she couldn't say she was completely over her experience with Gilda, she had come quite a long way. She could go out again, like she loved to do, be around the other ponies she knew without worrying they'd randomly <em>know <em>that she'd had sex with a girl, and best of all, she was happy. So happy she'd even begun practicing her flying tricks again on a daily basis.

Today was one of the days she'd decided to spend alone, and taken to the skies above Cloudsdale, in one of her favorite clearings. There were clearings all around the city, as it did reside in the air, but this particular one was one she visited a lot in her spare time.

Rainbow gave a happy sigh as she soared through the Cloudsdale air she knew so well, feeling the wind in her mane and feathers; her eyes were closed, as there was nothing around here that she could possibly run into. It was only clear skies, and the clouds nearby didn't get in her way at all. She loved being up so high, feeling the chilly winds from the altitude. As she sped around, doing her flips and curves in the air, she was lost. The world around her barely even existed anymore.

The only downside to this, though, being lost in her own world of contentment, was that when such a state was met, other outside disturbances could not even be noticed. Like birds that might be flying by. A slight change in weather patterns. Or the sound of another calling out, for her to be wary of these surroundings.

"INCOMING!"

It'd been instantaneous as far as Rainbow was concerned; she hadn't even seen it coming. Her flight felt perfect, and now, as quick and unexpected as a strike of lightning, the impact hit her. Eyes wide now, she watched ahead as she sped downward with whatever it was that had hit her. She felt the weight pressed against her, and tried to turn and look, but the fall prevented her from doing so. For a moment more it continued, until finally, she and the other crashed into a huge cumulus cloud.

Rainbow Dash was in complete shock, stunned at what had just happened, which even she didn't know the cause of yet. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. It took her a few seconds to get over the sudden crash, but before she could stand, the one that was now with her spoke again.

She said, obviously worried, "Oh gosh, I am so sorry! I tried to warn you, but…I dunno, I guess you were in the zone. That was still totally my fault though… Are you alright!"

Finally, at the voice, Rainbow got to her hooves, slightly annoyed now that she knew what had happened. Couldn't other fliers watch where they were going? She turned to face the other, about to drop a sassy remark in return, but at the sight she saw, she only froze, eyes wide and breath lost. That blue uniform…orange mane flipped back in that fiery texture she knew so well. Right before her very eyes, though she scarcely believed it, was her favorite member of the Wonderbolts – Spitfire.

The yellow Pegasus looked a little confused at Rainbow's reaction, but quickly, she gave an affectionate eye roll, and sighed with a smile.

"Oh! I see… You're a fan," she stifled a giggle. "Well, again, I'm really sorry about that. I don't even know how that happened. I guess I wasn't expecting that draft."

Rainbow remained at a complete loss for words. She'd always dreamt of this moment, but never thought it would happen like _this. _Quickly, as she felt her cheeks growing warmer, she looked away, frantically scraping her mind for something – _anything – _to say that didn't sound ridiculous. Inside, she was about to explode with a mixture of shock and bliss, but she really didn't want Spitfire to know that. And she especially didn't want Spitfire to know about her stupid crush. She had to keep it as cool as possible.

She finally forced her words out, unfortunately sounding a little more choked than she'd hoped for. "Y-You fly here, too?"

God, what a stupid question.

Spitfire didn't seem to mind, though. She blinked, before giving another smile. "Well, _sometimes. _You see, we have our own place to practice whenever we need to, but doing it in the same place all the time _can _get a little boring. So sometimes I go off on my own without the others knowing, just to have a little free time. Get away from celebrity life for a while. You know."

"Y-Yeah…that's cool," the younger breathed, still unable to say much of anything else.

She knew she was probably blushing horribly now, and she desperately hoped Spitfire would just assume it was because she was another crazy fan, rather than a crazy fan who also had a huge celebrity crush. In both cases, Rainbow Dash was now having one of the most exciting moments of her life. She couldn't ruin it by acting stupid! But just as she was about to try speaking again, the older mare beat her to it.

She said, "Anyway…I was kinda hoping to stay on the loose for at _least _another day or so, but…I don't really have anywhere to go."

Pausing from the words for a short moment, Spitfire cautiously continued.

"Sayyy…you wouldn't mind letting me crash with you for tonight, would you? I mean, if it's okay and all. I wouldn't want to impose."

It didn't even cross Rainbow Dash's mind that the Wonderbolt leader could've very well just been taking advantage of her celebrity status now that she was in the presence of a fan; and even if it had, the pony wouldn't have cared. She froze again at the question, unable to believe that Spitfire was asking to come to _her _home, or that Spitfire was asking if it was _okay. _Of course it was okay!

That was it. She couldn't act stupidly mesmerized anymore. She had to make sure her favorite pony in the world felt welcome! And _not _like she was in the presence of some silly teenage fan who couldn't keep a straight face around other ponies she admired! Taking a breath, Rainbow relaxed herself, standing up a little straighter as she smiled back, fighting the crushy feelings.

"Crash at my place?" she began, making sure to sound at ease. "Sure, if you need to. I don't mind at all!"

Very fortunately, Rainbow's parents were away on a vacation she hadn't felt like joining them on. Even if they were at home, though, they probably wouldn't have declined Spitfire a place to stay; still, the young Pegasus definitely didn't want them embarrassing her in front of Spitfire, so them being away only made everything perfect!

Rainbow Dash immediately led Spitfire on the short journey back to her home, not wanting to keep her waiting. If she wanted to get back to flying, Rainbow would gladly join her on the chance that she'd like a flying buddy, but if not, she could have just as much fun watching. Being in the presence of a Wonderbolt was more than enough to give her absolute bliss. She was still finding it hard to believe that she'd run into the leader like this. Once they'd made it back to Rainbow's house, Spitfire took hold of the conversation again.

She said, looking around, "This is a pretty nice place, Rainbow Dash. Thanks so much for letting me stay, again. You wanna show me around?"

"Sure, if you want!"

Over the trip home, Rainbow had introduced herself; the conversation hadn't been _too _exciting, just a typical one of acquaintanceship. She hadn't been able to tell if she was annoying Spitfire or not with her talking, but the older pony hadn't seemed anything less than glad. If she truly _was _glad, this little incident could turn into a dream come true for Rainbow! Perhaps Spitfire would never forget her; perhaps they'd stay friends even after she left; perhaps their friendship would lead to her _finally _getting noticed by them!

It didn't take long for her to show Spitfire around, as their house wasn't all that big – only she and her parents lived in it, after all. It seemed like no time at all when they finally got to Rainbow's room, which she was a little nervous to show, but Spitfire wanted to see it, so she took a breath and allowed her in to look around. Only then did the younger Pegasus begin to feel a lot more overtaken by her silly crush. And much to her dismay, Spitfire noticed.

The Wonderbolt gazed around the room, finally stopping once she got to Rainbow's poster of _only _her. After a moment, she turned back around to face her, with a slightly mischievous smile. Rainbow averted her eyes a moment at the look, feeling the blush from before returning as she froze up, trying to gather more words to say, but unable to get any together. Before she realized it, though, the yellow pony was inches from her, tilting her head a bit to bring her gaze back up.

"You really like me, Rainbow Dash…don't you?"

At the tone, Rainbow suddenly felt her heart jump, as well as another spark inside of her that she hadn't felt since…

Spitfire's voice had changed. It was a small change in tone, but a change nonetheless. With it, Rainbow had no choice but to raise her head again, to meet the older mare's knowing smile. She knew she was still blushing, furiously now, and her heart had sped up immensely. She wondered what Spitfire was thinking: the playful glint in her brown eyes only ignited the feelings further. It was just like what had happened with Gilda. She didn't want it to stay and ruin everything with Spitfire! Her inner panic was interrupted though, as the Wonderbolt spoke again.

She said, very softly, with a stifled giggle, "You need to relax. I understand."

Rainbow hadn't even noticed that their muzzles were a mere inch apart now, but now that she did, she gave a sharp gasp, only to be quieted as Spitfire kissed her. It was so sudden that the younger was in complete shock for a moment, but slowly, her eyes closed, and she couldn't stop herself from kissing back. The kiss went on for a short while, and in another sudden movement, Spitfire was pushing her back against her bed.

Finally breaking the kiss, the yellow one took a step back, and began to remove her Wonderbolts uniform. It took Rainbow a moment to focus herself again, as the kissing had completely thrown her off into a daze, but as soon as she realized what was happening, her eyes widened. She wanted to scream, tell Spitfire to keep her clothes on, but at the same time, she was excited. Her mind was telling her to put an end to what had now begun, but her heart, and her body, were winning this battle. Just as they had with Gilda.

A second time she gasped as Spitfire finished removing her attire, and came close again, giving another of her smiles. She stepped over her, making Rainbow fall back against the bed as she gazed down at her reddened face.

"What's wrong, Rainbow? Don't you find me attractive?"

Rainbow couldn't help but lower her head a bit to look over the Wonderbolt's now stripped form. Her body was lovelier than the younger could've ever imagined it to be, and looking at it now, she felt herself growing even more desiring for what she knew was about to happen. Before she could utter an answer, Spitfire lowered her own face down closer, their lips again an inch from contact.

She whispered, "Well? Do you want this, Rainbow?"

Instantly, with a hitch of breath, Rainbow Dash latched her forelegs around Spitfire's neck, pulling her into an embrace which only intensified the feeling of their proximity. She couldn't resist it anymore – she wanted this.

"Yes!" She breathed out the word quietly, desperately. And no sooner had the word escaped her had the sensation of their bodies pressed so closely together brought upon a shock through her that she'd only felt one other time in her life, and that she knew would forever be the one thing that could drag her down to such rapturous submission.

* * *

><p>"NO!"<p>

Rainbow Dash jumped up with a start from her bed, a pounding in her chest unlike any she'd ever felt before, along with an intense throbbing in her lower body that she could never forget even if she tried.

She felt as if she'd just woken up from a horrifying nightmare, but the dream itself hadn't been anything all _that _frightening. Not to the dream version of her, anyway. But to the part of her that'd been present, yet not in the dream, there was no other word to describe it. Slowly, Rainbow's heart calmed itself again. She still couldn't get the dream's happenings out of her mind, though: she'd come so very close to having sex again…with another female. Not just any female, either. Spitfire.

Instantly, the pony shut her eyes tight, her already blushing face only growing darker. She hated when her hormones did this to her, and even if she'd rather just pretend they didn't, she knew this feeling well. Not only was she horrified now by all that had occurred in her dreams, she was also massively turned on. She hadn't even been home an entire day yet!

Rainbow gave a devastated whimper before falling back onto her bed and rolling onto her side. Once she realized she had a perfect view of the new Spitfire poster, though, she gasped, and swiftly rolled over to face the other side of the room, covering her face with her hooves as a second whimper escaped her. She'd never be able to look at the Wonderbolt again! At least, at the current moment, that's what she told herself.

It was true, then. Her crush was real. Everything she'd felt since she'd hit puberty was real. At the thought, she internally panicked even more, and was almost ready to jump out of bed and tear the poster of Spitfire down; but she knew she could never do such a thing, not when her parents had been so amazing in getting it for her. She didn't want to imagine what they'd say if they ever came in to see the poster had been removed.

Softening her closed eyes, Rainbow took a breath. She had to calm herself. Of course, it wasn't an easy feat when her hormones remained excited, much to her dismay. When she noticed she wasn't sleepy at all anymore thanks to the dream, she gave an annoyed groan. Another sleepless night was all she needed. She wondered what time it was, but didn't get up to check; she'd rather not even know. It didn't feel very much later, though.

She still couldn't believe she'd come home to get away from all this, and in doing so, she'd only gotten into _more _of it. It was nearly enough to make her want to cry. Rolling onto her back and staring helplessly up out the window that was rested on the wall behind her, she sighed, gazing up at the crescent moon. There truly was no point in fighting it anymore.

* * *

><p>It'd been nearly three weeks since Rainbow Dash's sleep had been plagued by her first almost-sex dream. She'd barely left her house any at all. And unfortunately for her, her parents were starting to notice.<p>

Rainbow felt as though anyone who saw her would be able to tell just by looking that she was a lesbian. She also felt as though the mere sight of a pretty girl would send her on yet _another _crush, as silly as such a thing sounded. But all in all, she didn't want to leave the house, and risk either of those situations happening. It'd be fine. She could just stay inside for the rest of her life, and no one would ever know. At the time she'd created such a foolproof plan, however, she hadn't thought about her parents. They'd certainly been bound to notice her newfound asocial behavior sooner or later – especially since the young Pegasus had always preferred being out of the house in the past.

It'd only been a matter of time before her mother confronted her with the observation she so dreaded being noticed.

"Rainbow dear, you aren't sick, are you? You've been cooped up in here every day for the past few weeks."

Breezie sounded terribly worried, and when her daughter looked up to meet her gaze, her eyes reflected the same emotion. Rainbow had been lying down, but at the confrontation, she sighed, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She couldn't let her mother find out the truth, but at the same time, she didn't want her worried over her either.

She forced a smile, "I'm fine, Mom, I'm just…bored, I guess. And there's nothing I've really wanted to do lately. That's all."

"Hm," her mother still didn't seem satisfied with the answer. She continued. "Well, there must be _something _you can do."

Averting her eyes at the words, Rainbow Dash didn't answer her again. She waited for her mother to finish and leave her alone again, but Breezie only stayed put with a thoughtful gaze upward, obviously trying to think up a few suggestions. She gave a longer "hmmmm" as she pondered, but before she could say anything else, Rainbow's father walked by with his typical suggestion.

"You could practice your flying some more. Your mother's right, though, you need some fresh air. Summer will be over before you know it," he told her.

Great. Now both her parents were ganging up on her. It was a little annoying, but Rainbow couldn't really be angry, considering neither of them knew the truth.

She said, "I know."

Rainbow got to her hooves, about to assure her parents she'd do something later, before leaving the room, but she didn't have a chance to say anything else as her mother suddenly gave a loud gasp, jumping just a little in excitement. The suggestion she'd been searching for had finally hit her, much to Rainbow's dismay. The younger lowered her head a little, trying not to appear as worried as she was.

"Oh, what a _wonderful_ idea!" Breezie smiled brightly. "Rainbow, why don't you go to work with your father tomorrow!"

"Huh?"

Rainbow and Rigel nearly had the reaction in unison as they immediately turned to look toward her, both with the same expression of confusion, though Rainbow's was slightly more worried.

Her mother continued, "It'd be a great experience for you now that you're older, darling! And I'm sure the factory could use some help! Couldn't it, Rigel?"

Rigel still held the same confusion, but there was really no reason why Rainbow _shouldn't _go. Or couldn't go, for that matter. She was indeed growing up fast. Nevertheless, it still seemed a little odd; but all he could do was agree, as there could never be too many ponies helping out at the weather factory.

"Uh…I suppose."

"Great! Then it's settled – Rainbow, you have something to do tomorrow! You better get a good night's rest!"

The younger pony only stood where she was, eyes wide and worried, jaw open. Neither of them had even asked her if _she _wanted to go to the factory tomorrow! She almost argued against the idea, but there wasn't even a point in it now; besides, if she continued to refuse to get out of the house, her parents would definitely begin to see through her boredom excuse. The excuses she held onto weren't ones she could reuse continuously. Still, she certainly hadn't expected this. She was going to work with her dad tomorrow.

Finally, and much too late, her mother asked, "That's okay, right, honey?"

"…Yeah…sure."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow! Hahahah. (: Again, thanks to everyone who gave feedback! The more I get, the faster I'll post (hopefully), so all in all, it's good for me <em>and<em> you! For everyone who's excited about the GildaDash, though...I hate to break your hearts, but this story is mainly Rainbow-centric. Gilda will show back up eventually, but I won't be doing any ships (until the sequel, if I get to that point). Dashie just isn't ready for relationships yet; she'll have to wait for that. **

**In any case, thanks again, everypony! You lovelies keep me going. Hope you enjoyed!**  
><strong>Reviews &amp; favs are very much appreciated! <strong>


	4. Snowflakes

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 4 <strong>

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash had partially hoped that perhaps if she didn't wake up early, or either pretended to still be asleep, her parents would leave her alone and drop the whole idea of her joining her father at work. Knowing her mother, though, she didn't fully expect the hopes to happen. And they didn't.<p>

Father and daughter were now on the way to the weather factory, the place Rigel always referred to when he spoke about "work." Rigel had worked at the weather factory for as long as Rainbow could remember; she'd only been there a couple other times, back when she was a young filly, and she didn't remember all too much about the place. She really didn't care about getting a memory jolt, either. But most importantly, she didn't want to be around all the other ponies that would be at the factory.

The factory wasn't far from their home at all, and as most of the short trip was spent flying in awkward silence, there wasn't much time for conversation. It wasn't that Rigel _didn't _want to talk to Rainbow; he loved his daughter, and had always been proud of her, even if she _had _ditched flight camp. Rigel Dash was simply a more quiet, indifferent pony in general. And small talk was absolutely not his forte. He still attempted to make use of the time, though, even if it wasn't a lot.

"So, uh…you remember this place?" he asked.

Rainbow quickly looked to her silvery-coated father, her magenta eyes wide at the question. She blinked after a short moment and averted the gaze, shrugging her shoulders just a little as they flew on. She really didn't, but she hoped he wouldn't care.

She responded, "Not really."

"…Ah. Well, we'll be there in a minute. Maybe it'll come back to you."

"…Maybe."

The short talk came to an end, and there was silence again for the rest of the few minutes. Neither Rainbow nor Rigel could say they were surprised by that. Like her mother, Rainbow was quite a talker at times, but like her father, she was terrible at pointless, filler conversations. Small talk was nearly a foreign language to her; give her a topic she loved, though, and Rainbow Dash could go on for hours. She couldn't help but wish sometimes she was more naturally quiet like her father. Rigel could stay so collected and relaxed, in pretty much any situation, while she tended to get over-excited as easily as her mother did sometimes. Rainbow would rather seem cool than spastic, but at least she could hide excitement…fairly easily.

It wasn't long before the two Pegasi reached their destination – the weather factory.

Rainbow only grew more hesitant as they approached, as well as fearful, but she knew there wasn't a way out of the situation this time, so she did her best to stay calm. Still, would the other ponies notice? Would they be able to look at her and know her secret? The thought sounded ridiculous, but she couldn't stop fretting over it. As they entered the factory, she felt like everypony was staring at her. And, well, they were. Just not for the reason _she _worried over.

"Oh my goodness!"

Almost as soon as they'd walked through the door, one of the mares had already confronted them. She was a purple pony, with quite a surprised, yet enthused expression. For a short moment, she only gazed at Rainbow, then back to her father, almost in shock, but quickly, she gave a grin.

She continued, "Rigel, is this…?"

"Rainbow Dash. Yes," he answered, only stopping for a second.

The mare gave a short "awwww" and lightly touched Rainbow's nose with her hoof.

"I haven't seen you since you were a little filly! You look _just _like your father!" she continued.

Rainbow was frozen at the attention at first, eyes wide. She felt herself growing tense, and her heart speeding up as all the familiar worries ran through her mind, but when the mare didn't seem to care about anything except her status as Rigel's daughter, she relaxed a bit, giving a relieved, silent sigh. The rest of her worries were interrupted by the mare's last statement. All her life, Rainbow had been told she looked _just _like her father; it was rather annoying at this point, especially since she'd always disagreed. She resembled Rigel in some ways, but she often felt like if it weren't for the rainbow mane she'd inherited from him, fewer ponies would make the observation.

Aside from her mane, Rainbow had always thought she looked more like her mother: she had her mother's sky blue coat and magenta eyes, not to mention she was built a lot more like her in general. Did nopony even notice that at all? She was used to being compared to her father by now, though, even if it did annoy her.

As Rainbow followed Rigel through the factory, more and more glances were thrown at her, and a few more greetings similar to the one they'd received from the purple mare. Some ponies asked if Rainbow remembered them, which she didn't; she went back and forth between either beating around the question, or simply telling them no. Her father didn't seem to care about the answers, which was nice. If Breezie had been there, she would've certainly given Rainbow a nudge and told her to answer more politely. But Rainbow really couldn't help herself at times – she was blunt, just as Rigel was.

The young Pegasus had calmed down quite a lot more upon the realization that nopony cared at all about her secrets. She hadn't received one dirty look, or suspicious glance, or any questions about her sexuality. Everypony was either surprised to see her, or ecstatic. She couldn't tell if they were excited merely because she was Rigel's daughter, or because she was herself, but it didn't take her long at all to see that her father was a very loved employee, despite his apathetic attitude.

Rigel briefly pointed out all the different weather stations as he and Rainbow passed them, as she didn't remember any of them. When they finally reached the snowflakes area, though, the younger blinked, her eyes widening just a little. Something about the station was incredibly familiar to her, even if she couldn't quite place it. She tilted her head just a bit as she wondered, but finally settled for looking up to her father.

"I think I kinda remember these…maybe," she spoke before returning her gaze to the other ponies' delicate work. She was pretty glad to see that none of them were paying any attention to her, but rather keeping focused on the snowflakes they were making.

Rigel approached one of the empty spots and slipped on a pair of ear muffs, looking back to her with a slight smile, one brow raised.

He said, "Well, I'd hope so. This is where you usually stayed when I brought you here before. It _is _my station, remember."

Rainbow Dash blinked, her eyes widening again at the statement, and suddenly she coughed a bit, giving an embarrassed grin. She really had forgotten that little detail for a moment; it wasn't as if Rigel never brought it up at home. Finally, she sighed, rolling her eyes to herself as she stifled an awkward chuckle.

"Oh yeah. Right."

At the small conversation, a few of the other ponies at the station looked up to see what was going on, and at the sight of Rainbow, they smiled, but only one of them gave a hello before getting back to his work. Rainbow smiled back awkwardly. She was glad that this station seemed to be a lot quieter and more laid-back than the other ones, and as to not draw much more attention to herself, she lowered her voice down a notch.

She began again, "So, um, I stayed here a lot?"

Rigel had just begun working on a snowflake, but he paused to offer his daughter some ear muffs of her own. He smiled again just a little before bringing his attention back to his work as he answered the question.

"Yep," he told her. "Your mom didn't really like you staying in this cold, but it never bothered you. You're like me that way. I could barely get you to keep your muffs on."

Blinking at the statement, Rainbow was quite surprised to hear that side of things. She'd always been told she was brought to the factory a few times when she was younger, but neither of her parents had ever mentioned that detail. Of course, she was quite familiar with the cold not bothering her; she'd always loved high altitudes, and the excitement of the sudden temperature change if she sped fast enough.

"Is that why you're not wearing a coat?" she asked after a moment, removing her ear muffs just to look at them a moment before placing them back on her head.

He answered, "Pretty much. I get one if I need it, but usually I'm fine. Good to wear something in this temperature, though, so I always keep the muffs on. You need one?"

"Nah."

Silence came again as Rainbow took a seat next to her father and watched as he worked on a couple snowflakes. She could easily see why this particular job was so well-suited for him, as there wasn't much talking, and as he'd said, he was good with the cold. Being here with him now, Rainbow randomly found herself wondering about his fillyhood. It was a topic they didn't speak of a lot, but she was still curious about: had he always been so modest with his flying talents? Was he just as quiet as he is today? Had he ever gotten into any trouble? She knew the kind of pony her father was, but she didn't know much about his past, except small bits he briefly mentioned every now and again. She'd thought about asking him for more details before, but always kind of felt like it was something he'd rather not talk about.

After a moment, Rainbow's thoughts were pushed aside as Rigel spoke again.

"You wanna try your hoof at one?" he asked her, motioning to the new bundle of ice he'd just gotten prepared for more flake making.

The younger hesitated a moment before realizing just what he was asking, and finally giving another of her awkward smiles. She'd never attempted to make a snowflake before, but she supposed there was no point in not trying. Besides, she _was _at work.

She stood again. "…Sure, I'll try one I guess."

Snowflakes were harder to make than they looked to be, that was for sure. Rainbow Dash tried for a few minutes, but didn't succeed in making anything too special. When she finally gave up, her father stifled a small smirk and assured her it got easier with practice. She found it a little hard to believe that she could ever make one as lovely as those Rigel and the other snowflake stationed ponies were making, though. Once Rigel took over, Rainbow decided it'd be best to just observe again.

For a little while longer, things went back to the way they'd been before – silence. A part of Rainbow was getting a little bored, but another part of her loved that nopony here was paying attention to her at all. She felt safe. Her nervousness had even left her, for the most part, which was nice. But of course, nothing _that_ good was lasting forever: a few more minutes passed before Rigel looked to her again, with another suggestion. Rainbow knew with the tone he used, though, that he wasn't necessarily asking this of her as much as telling her it was a good idea, or rather, hinting that he wanted her to do it.

"Why don't you go look around at the other stations? Maybe somepony will let you help out a little… it'd be a good experience for you," he said.

Her father and his "good experience" reasons. She'd heard it said so many times now, that it was getting annoying. It'd also been his reason for her to continue with flight camp even after she'd proved herself to be an excellent flier (of course, she hadn't minded continuing at all – she loved flight camp). But nevertheless, she supposed she could see _some _sense in it, even if she really didn't want to leave the safety of this particular station.

Rainbow Dash hesitated just a moment, looking toward the exit of their station, and suddenly feeling a pang of worry return to her. What if somepony really _did _notice her? Everything had been fine up until now, but that didn't guarantee an entire safe day. Still, she tried not to get too carried away with the thoughts.

Pushing them back as best she could, she forced a weak smile. "O-Okay."

It'd be okay…she hoped.

As Rainbow left the snowflakes station, she took a few quiet, deep breaths; she was fine. Virtually all the ponies in the factory were older than her by a good bit, which didn't exclude the mares. She'd only been attracted to mares that were closer to her own age…hadn't she? Well, _almost _only. She rolled her eyes as the thought of Spitfire crossed her mind again. As far as she could recall, though, Spitfire was the only older mare she'd crushed on yet. _Yet. _It took her a second to realize she really didn't like the sound of that.

Cautiously, the younger Pegasus made her way through the factory stations she and Rigel had passed before, until she came to the cloud station. This one had seemed fairly interesting, she supposed. She did love clouds. And she was interested to see more of how thunderstorm ones were made. For a moment, she wondered if her father would accept just plain observation as experience, given that she _really _didn't want to "help out." Whatever that meant. Rainbow wasn't a skilled employee, nor did she want to be; whatever help she could offer wasn't something these workers would need.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash! Decided to look around?"

Rainbow jumped at the voice, then quickly turned only to see the purple mare who'd been the first to speak to her before. The mare gave a bright smile, obviously overjoyed to see the younger again. Looking at her now, Rainbow couldn't help but notice how young she looked…but she couldn't be _that _much younger than her father if she'd been around to meet her back when she was a filly.

_Yet…_

As the word passed through her mind again, Rainbow Dash suddenly gasped, backing away from the mare; she looked away as she felt her cheeks growing a little warmer. She couldn't stay around these mares. She didn't ever want to risk crushing on another older pony. Even though she wasn't crushing on this one yet, the possibility was just too great a hazard. She hadn't even realized what a hazard it was until now, being in the presence of one. This couldn't happen again!

She stuttered in response, "U-Uh…yeah."

She tried to make a run for it, to get away from the situation and go someplace safe. The purple mare spoke her name once more, sounding a little more confused this time. Rainbow couldn't stay around any longer, though; she frantically took to the air. She didn't care where she was going, where she would end up, as long as it wasn't there. But not caring was the biggest mistake she could've made. The last thing Rainbow Dash heard was another call from the mare, a rather distressed one, before she felt a sudden, enormous surge of pain unlike any she'd ever felt before, and the world around her went dark.

* * *

><p>When Rainbow finally drifted back into consciousness, she could barely make out anything of the situation she was now in. She felt confused, lost, but most of all, she felt horrible. Almost like somepony had run her over with a plow. It took a moment for her ears to tune in to the familiar voices close by, and for her eyes to blink open in exhaustion. She couldn't move, though. Not yet. Partially because even a small twitch was painful, but also because she felt as if every ounce of energy had been zapped out of her. This was an experience she'd never had before. And her only question was, what the hell was it?<p>

"I'm so sorry, again, Rigel… This is _all_ my fault. I had no idea she was so shy…"

"Valerie, it's no one's fault. And she'll be fine, she just needs a couple days. Tell the others I'll be back in as soon as possible."

Rainbow recognized the voices as her father and the purple mare, and she wondered what they were talking about. They could've very possibly been talking about her, but…whatever had happened, was it really that bad? Trying to move her head again, she only got another shock of pain, and winced; it sure felt that bad. Not to mention the purple mare (Valerie? she asked herself) sounded completely devastated.

"Alright. Are you sure there's not anything I can do for the three of you?"

"Thanks, but we're fine."

"…Okay. Please tell her I'm sorry."

The voices stopped after that. Rainbow couldn't see why, but she supposed the conversation had just ended. _But what happened? _Neither of them had said anything about the specifics, which was rather annoying. It didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't at the factory anymore: she was back home, in her own bed. From the position she was in, she could see that her door was open, and she could see Rigel's shadow on the wall outside of her room. She wanted to call him in, ask for the details, but she couldn't speak in her current state. She wondered where her mother was. They must've been leaving her alone to get more rest. But she didn't want rest! She wanted to know what had happened.

Rainbow Dash waited for her father to come into the room, but he never did. When she saw his shadow leave the wall, she gave a barely audible groan of annoyance. She waited for a few more minutes for someone to check on her, but it wasn't long at all before her exhaustion won the battle, and she drifted back into slumber. She'd just have to get her answer another time.

* * *

><p><strong>You guys are the greatest. (: Thanks so much for your reviews! Again, I'll try to update faster the more I get. <strong>**Anywho... poor little Rainbow's life is just ruined at the moment, I know, lol. Things will start to turn around next chapter, finally. I promise! I actually hadn't intended for "the purple mare" to become an official character of mine, but since I gave her a name, she is now. Yay for the purple mare! **

**And lastly, yes, I am going to describe Rainbow's eyes as pink (magenta), not purple. Everyone makes them purple, which is annoying, not to mention wrong: watch "Griffon the Brush-Off" near the end when Rainbow gets in front of Pinkie Pie after admitting to setting all the pranks up. Her eyes are the same color as Pinkie's mane, only shinier. So I'll be sticking with magenta. **

**Reviews & favs are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Old Friends

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 5 <strong>

* * *

><p>While Rainbow Dash had once wanted to stay at home as much as possible, she now wanted more than anything to get away from it. Well…that is, now that her mother was hovering over her as if she would die at any moment. Rainbow hadn't been allowed to get out of bed for three solid days. She'd been okay with it for the first day, but she didn't understand why it had to keep going like this now that she could sit up, move, as well as talk perfectly again. Maybe she could still feel a bit of the pain, but pain had always been something she dealt with pretty well.<p>

The young Pegasus had been shocked to discover that she'd run stupidly right into a thundercloud, and gotten stupidly struck by lightning. Not only was it painful, shocking, and stupid, it was also completely embarrassing, especially for such a skilled flier as herself. She really hoped her mother wouldn't tell anyone else about it; all she needed was for those assholes back at flight camp to find out, and _never _let it go. Luckily, it seemed that Breezie was much more interested in caring for her "dying" daughter than spreading news around.

Rainbow had been left alone for a moment, though. While she'd been following orders for the past few days, and staying in bed as often as possible, she planned on changing things around this time. Cautiously, she slipped out of bed, and got to her hooves; it was quite early in the morning, so not only was she still a little sore from her injuries in general, but her muscles hadn't been stretched much yet. Of course, she _had _been in bed for three days. She gave a giddy grin, though, aimlessly walking around a bit for the first time since then. But almost as soon as she'd begun, she was stopped in her tracks.

"Rainbow Dash!" her mother exclaimed upon entering the room. "Get back into bed! You are still recovering!"

She jumped in surprise, having not expected her mother to catch her at all. She'd just left the room a moment ago! After a second or two, though, Rainbow gave an annoyed growl, and did as she was told. She made sure to turn her back as she lay down again. Her mother's stern expression softened a bit after that, and she gave a sigh, approaching Rainbow's bed. Breezie rested her forelegs on the side of the bed, just watching her daughter a moment before she spoke again.

She said, "I'm sorry, baby…but you know it's going to take at least a few more days before you're healed enough to do anything too major."

A few more seconds passed before Rainbow gave a huff and rolled over to face her mother, obviously both annoyed and desperate. She didn't even want to think about having to stay in bed for another long day, let alone a _few _more days.

"Mom, it barely even hurts anymore!"

"You were fine staying home all the time a week ago! This isn't too much different…"

"It is so! I was just home, not bedridden. And that was then."

Breezie didn't argue anymore. She sighed, knowing her daughter well enough to understand how difficult the situation must be for her. Still, she simply couldn't allow her to go running off when the possibility of hurting herself even more was in the balance.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was starting to feel more miserable over staying in bed all the time than she was over the fact that being a lesbian had caused her to nearly kill herself. She'd almost forgotten her lesbian worries, to the point where she was telling herself that if she ever got out of bed again, she'd never spend another day in her room, or even in the house. That was obviously all spur-of-the-moment thinking, though. Rainbow's patience had always been quite short when it came to staying in one place for too long; she could get around it when times were tough, as how she'd been doing for the past few weeks, being fine with staying at home as long as she wasn't in the same room the whole time. It was beyond difficult staying in _bed _for longer than a night, though, so difficult that the need for freedom had nearly outweighed the need for staying away from the public.

Rainbow hesitated before speaking again. "Can I least get out of bed tomorrow if it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Honey, I don't know…"

"Mom, please! I need to get out of here!" she whimpered.

Again, Breezie didn't answer her. She averted her gaze, and continued to rest against the side of her daughter's bed. Another moment passed before she gave a soft sigh and surprised Rainbow with her next reply.

She began, "That's what your father and I have been talking about, Rainbow."

Rainbow's magenta eyes widened a bit at the unexpected statement. She didn't say anything, though, just waited for her mother to continue. She'd no idea they'd been talking about anything to do with her, other than the accident she'd gotten herself into. Breezie went on quickly.

"Well, I was planning on telling you this after you'd gotten better, but I think it's best I give you something to think about while you're still in bed," she hesitated a moment, finally meeting her daughter's eyes. "You haven't been yourself lately. We're concerned. And, really, we do think it might be best if you start getting out of the house more once you're all better."

Rainbow Dash's mentality quickly went from curious to suspiciously confused at the statement; whether her face reflected it or not, she didn't know, nor did she care. She knew her mother had some otheragenda besides _just _getting her out of the house more: if it was _that _simple, Breezie surely wouldn't be bringing it up like this.

"What do you mean?"

Breezie continued, "Well…we want you to start spending more time with your friends! Ponies your own age… It seems like the older you get, the less you care about keeping connections. I know you've been going through that little stage of teenage independence, it happened to me when I was about your age. But honey, you can't let yourself lose all your friends like that. It might not seem that way now, but friends are _so _important for a growing pony's happiness."

When her mother ended the little speech, Rainbow Dash had no doubts her face reflected her feelings now. She was nearly dumbfounded. They were worried she was becoming a recluse or something? And what friends were they even talking about? Rainbow had a few friends, but flight camp wasn't completely over yet – most of them were still there. She finally raised a brow, tilting her head away just a little as she answered in a slightly annoyed, very unimpressed tone.

She asked, "You mean the friends who aren't here?"

Breezie blinked in surprise, almost as if she'd completely forgotten that little piece of information. Hesitantly, she tried again.

"Oh. You don't have any friends who aren't in flight camp?"

Rainbow Dash kept her annoyed-sounding monotone. "No."

Her mother almost seemed a little distressed at the realization. She looked away in thought for a moment. Finally, her face lit up again with another idea, and she looked back to Rainbow expectantly.

"What about Fluttershy? She was your friend, right?" she asked.

"She moved to Ponyville."

Though Rainbow Dash wasn't enjoying this new idea very much, she had to admit her mother's last suggestion had been a pretty good call. Not that she actually _wanted _to "hang out" with Fluttershy. But Fluttershy was one of the few fliers who hadn't stayed with flight camp for more than a summer or two: she'd just disappeared one day, then had come back a few days later to tell everyone she was leaving for good. Rainbow had never been all that close to her, really. She remembered her, though. Fluttershy had been one of the nicest ponies she'd ever met, even if she hadn't been that big on flying. Had anyone been that close to her? She couldn't remember if the shy pony had had any friends or not, but she certainly remembered being pissed off at everypony who'd messed with her.

"I think it's a great idea."

It was only then that Rainbow realized she'd completely zoned out of her conversation with her mother for a minute there, thinking back on Fluttershy. She blinked, magenta eyes wide, and no idea what was going on now.

"Wait, what?" she asked.

"Visiting Fluttershy in Ponyville!"

"Huh!"

"I'm sure your father will be fine with it! You just rest now, darling! I'll bring you some tea a little later!"

With that, her mother left the room, much too quickly for Rainbow Dash to even respond properly. Jaw dropped open and still completely dumbfounded, Rainbow remained in a silent shock for another moment, before finally releasing a breath and honestly wondering if all that had really just happened. Did her mother do that kind of shit on purpose?

She didn't know why her mother would assume she'd be completely against the idea of visiting Fluttershy in Ponyville. It was just a random earth town, right? Full of…ponies. Suddenly at the thought, Rainbow's eyes widened. It would be full of ponies – including ponies her own age. Ponies she'd have a much higher risk of crushing on, because she was a stupid lesbian. She couldn't go to Ponyville! But how could she tell her mom that now that she and Rigel were starting to seriously worry over her odd behavior? If this had happened a few months back, Rainbow would've been beyond excited to go on a trip away from home; they both knew that about her.

"Oh hell…" she mumbled to herself.

This was exactly what she needed: a situation which if she seemed to have a problem with, her parents would know without a doubt something was wrong with her.

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, Rainbow Dash's injuries continued to heal, as well as her mentality. She still would've rather not gone to Ponyville, but the more she thought about it, the more relaxed she became at the thought that nopony in Ponyville even knew her name, other than Fluttershy. She would be surrounded by a whole new setting, and a whole new array of acquaintances. None of them would know who she was, so none of them would have an expectation of how she would be. It didn't matter how she appeared, as long as she could hold back enough of her lesbian thoughts.<p>

She was still unsure about the trip, as well as about seeing Fluttershy again for the first time in so long. She'd never even known her all that well to begin with, just defended her. Fluttershy had been grateful, but that was about all there'd been to it; and Rainbow couldn't help but worry the next time they met would only make for awkwardness.

Nevertheless, she also couldn't help but wonder if perhaps her mother had the right idea: perhaps she really _did _just need a complete change of scenery, and some new friends who, maybe, she could talk to about her situation. Of course the talking thing was her own idea, not her mother's. Rainbow was still prepared to keep her sexuality a secret from her parents forever. Even if – for all she knew – they might not necessarily react as badly as she worried they would. That chance just wasn't one she planned on taking, though.

"You're sure you can get there on your own, sweetie?"

Rainbow was healed now and almost immediately, her mother had insisted that she get ready for her trip. From the urgency alone, the younger could tell she truly believed that seeing old friends, having someone closer to her own age to spend time with, was really the answer to whatever it was she and Rigel were worried over. Rainbow had thought about asking them what the deal was, but her mother had already went on about keeping friendships, and well, that was enough for her; she'd rather not any questions she might ask accidentally cause them to think twice and grow even more worried.

She would only be in Ponyville for a little while, she hoped. It'd be okay. She was really trying to be optimistic about it, even if she was still afraid of some of the possibilities. Fluttershy was her main hope at the moment, if she was still as sweet and shy as she remembered, anyway. If she wasn't then…Rainbow didn't know what she'd do in Ponyville.

Once she assured Breezie and Rigel that she could get there on her own, and would have a safe trip, she hugged them both goodbye and started for her journey. Ponyville actually wasn't too far away from Cloudsdale: the longest it took to get there was about an hour, and that was flying slowly. Which, as Rainbow Dash _was _quite a bit nervous about getting there, she couldn't help but fly slower than she usually flew, so the trip ended up taking her close to a good forty-five minutes (even if she _wanted _to, she could never fly as slowly as to take the whole hour).

Nopony really seemed to notice Rainbow when she first arrived in the town, which she was quite relieved over. It was about the same as the factory, only this time, she wasn't known as Rigel Dash's daughter; and as much as she liked being his daughter, she was still more than happy to be just another random pony for a while. It was a refreshing start.

Very cautiously, Rainbow Dash wandered around the town, keeping to herself, staying out of crowds, and keeping a lookout for Fluttershy. She remembered what the other Pegasus looked like when they'd been in flight camp together, but as far as she knew now, Fluttershy could've completely changed her style by this point in time. It'd been years since they'd seen one another. Finally, after about a half an hour of searching in the sidelines, Rainbow knew her method was turning out to be pointless: she'd have to find somepony who knew Fluttershy, and get directions. Her only problem though, was that she had no idea whatsoever, which of these ponies knew Fluttershy, and which ones didn't.

Rainbow was surprised to see that for an earth pony town, Ponyville actually had a lot of unicorn and Pegasus inhabitants as well. She was especially glad for so many Pegasi living around, as that drew even less attention to her. Sometimes she even felt as if she were invisible, just walking around barely noticed at all. She wondered if this meant Ponyville got a lot of visitors, just other ponies coming to see the place; Cloudsdale was certainly like that a lot of the time. Of course, most of its tourists were other Pegasi.

After hesitantly joining the crowd, Rainbow decided maybe it'd be best to ask another Pegasus of Fluttershy's whereabouts first; she actually hadn't had all too much interaction with earth ponies or unicorns before, so she stuck with what she knew. It turned out, however, that Fluttershy still didn't have too many friends, even in Ponyville.

"U-Um…excuse me?"

"Hm, yes?"

"Do you, um, know where Fluttershy lives?"

"Who?"

"…Nevermind."

The pattern continued through the few other Pegasi Rainbow tried to get directions from. Including the genders of these Pegasi, as Rainbow had made quite an effort to only confront males: she was still uncomfortable talking to the females after what had happened with Valerie, not to mention female ponies still always seemed to make her blush. So, naturally, she felt safer talking to ponies she was positive she wouldn't be attracted to. After the fourth try, Rainbow found herself wondering if maybe she really would need to get over herself and ask a female, but luckily (or maybe not so luckily), a female found her first.

"Did you say you were looking for Fluttershy?"

Rainbow Dash jumped at the question, and quickly turned toward the voice to see a fifth Pegasus, only this one female. She felt herself tense almost immediately. But before she could get much more nervous over being so close to a female again, her attention was drawn to an even more startling aspect of this particular pony: her eyes. Rainbow was frozen for a short moment, just looking at the pony's face, until she quickly realized there had to be something wrong with her eyes which couldn't be helped, and looked away with a small blush, not wanting to seem rude. She'd just spoken to her, though; she had to ignore the awkwardness, and respond. Especially since this pony seemed to know Fluttershy, unlike any of the others.

She answered, "U-Um, yes..?"

Rainbow couldn't help but want to apologize for her moment of staring, but the grey Pegasus who'd spoken to her instantly gave a happy chibi smile and grabbed one of her forelegs, dragging her away from their current area. She seemed to have not even noticed Rainbow's staring, or if she had, she didn't seem to care. Rainbow gave a surprised yelp at the sudden gesture, but really had no choice but to follow.

"Come on, then! I know right where she lives!" the pony exclaimed as she pulled Rainbow along a short ways, and then let her go to follow on her own.

Along the way, the grey Pegasus didn't hesitate at all to explain that she worked as a mail carrier, and Fluttershy's home was one of the places on her route, which was how she knew _exactly _how to get there. Rainbow couldn't tell whether the pony was trying to sound impressive or not, but either way, she was thankful she didn't have to do any of the talking – that was taken care of by this odd new pony.

Rainbow found herself not too bothered at all by her worries as the grey Pegasus led the way to Fluttershy's house. She couldn't quite place why, but there was something about this Pegasus that made her feel…comfortable. The Pegasus was pretty much completely open, as if she already considered Rainbow to be some long-time, trusted friend. It was actually pretty quirky, but at the same time, Rainbow kind of liked it. She couldn't help but wonder if this Pegasus was the same way with everypony she met. Not that it really mattered. It certainly helped Rainbow Dash feel more at ease with herself, though.

When the two of them reached a small cottage near the edge of a forest, the grey Pegasus came to a stop, and pointed a hoof in its direction. She beamed the same smile as before as she did so, as if nothing made her happier than doing random things like this. It was so weird, and yet, so charming. Rainbow gave an awkward smile before looking toward the cottage, and at the familiar sight, her eyes slowly widened.

Fluttershy.

The yellow Pegasus looked exactly the same as Rainbow Dash remembered her. She hadn't noticed that Rainbow was there yet; she only stood with her backside to the other two, fixing one of her flowerbeds. After a moment, Rainbow looked back to the grey Pegasus, who only gave a friendly wink and took to the air, as she'd completed the mission she'd set out to do. And with that, only Fluttershy and Rainbow were left, standing a short ways apart.

Rainbow Dash remained silent for a moment longer, feeling a bit of her nervousness returning to her. She hadn't the first idea how to begin a conversation, or even what to say to get her old friend's attention. Finally, though, Rainbow took a breath and settled for clearing her throat.

"Hmm?"

At the throat clearing, Fluttershy quickly turned her head to look behind, eyes wide. She turned herself completely around to face Rainbow a second later, and instantly, she froze, blinking once in surprise. Fluttershy almost appeared as if she'd seen a ghost, and for a moment, she and Rainbow only stared at one another from across the yard.

The longer the moment passed, the more nervous Rainbow became. She swallowed, averting her eyes finally as she felt her cheeks growing red again. It hadn't even crossed her mind that crushing on Fluttershy was a possibility, another one that she really didn't want to happen. Strangely, though, she didn't really feel as worried about it as she'd felt with the other girls she'd run into. Perhaps it was the old memories she had with Fluttershy, or just the hope that she might actually have someone to talk to. She didn't know. But hesitantly, she lifted her magenta gaze back up to meet Fluttershy's again.

She released a breath, readying a greeting, but before she could get one out, the other Pegasus beat her to it.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy almost said the name with a quiet, stifled giggle, as if she really couldn't believe what she saw. Her shock had transformed into a brightly curious smile.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile back awkwardly as she uttered a quiet affirmation. She was glad to know her name had been remembered, but she supposed she could never forget the name of someone who'd defended her either. Almost so quickly Rainbow didn't have time to notice, the shy Pegasus galloped closer, giving another stifled giggle, and causing Rainbow to flinch back just a little in confusion. Not that the move bothered her, it was just…unexpectedly bold for a pony like Fluttershy.

Immediately after, though, Fluttershy gasped quietly, and edged back away just a little. "Oh! I'm sorry…it's just…it's been so long. I never expected…you."

The yellow Pegasus took a seat after the apology, and tilted her head downward as she averted her gaze. As soon as a lock of pink hair fell over the side of her face, Rainbow recognized the look. This was definitely the Fluttershy she remembered. Hesitantly, Rainbow lifted a hoof from the ground and smiled again.

"It's okay," she began. "I know it's been years since flight camp. Well, for you, anyway."

Fluttershy returned the smile, just a little, but still paused. "Yeah…"

Another moment of silence passed between the two Pegasi, which only brought Rainbow's awkwardness back, much to her dismay. She again lost her words, and finally, Fluttershy again got to her hooves, and spoke first.

"So…um…what brings the visit? N-Not that I didn't want a visit, but…is there something I can help you with?"

It was as if the specific question had been destined for their conversation. Rainbow Dash blinked in response to the words, eyes wide again. Help. Almost instantly, she felt her heart speeding up again. Ever since she'd left flight camp, she'd lost the only other one she believed she'd ever be able to talk to about all this. Even if Gilda wasn't exactly great at talking about things like these, she still knew what it was like to be attracted to girls. Rainbow was frozen now, with just the memory of feeling like there was at least _one _other who'd been in a similar situation. And Fluttershy's question echoing through her mind.

She indeed needed help. Big time. She'd no idea if Fluttershy was the proper pony to get help from, or even if Fluttershy would understand her situation at all, or even close to how Gilda did. One thing she did know, though, for sure, was that if she didn't tell somepony about it soon, she'd be on the brink of losing her mind. Whether Fluttershy realized it or not, the question had an answer. And this time, Rainbow Dash was ready to take the chance of giving it.

Heart still speeding, she forced herself out of her freeze, and very slowly looked around, just to be sure nopony else was near. She didn't know why the simple question had sparked such a longing in her to share what she'd been hiding for weeks now. But it had. She didn't understand it, but she knew the time had finally come, for somepony else to hear the truth.

_Was there anything she could help her with?_

Rainbow shakily breathed, not even realizing that her next statement barely seemed to be an answer to the question, because the fear of what would come from it, had completely taken her over.

"…Fluttershy…I'm gay."

* * *

><p><strong>I know this chapter was kinda heavy in description, as well as maybe a little faster paced than the others. I have to get the story moving on, though, as I don't really want it to exceed twelve chapters, and I still have a lot of things planned. Nevertheless, I hope y'all still enjoyed it. As you can see, I am keeping Fluttershy completely sweet and shy, as I hate Fluttershy's bitch moments in the series - they contradict her element of kindness, and you will never see them in my fics. Ever.<strong>

**I've also created a new poll on my author page for anyone who's interested in answering it. It's about this fanfic, so I'd really love some voters. And, as always, thank you so so much to everyone who's still reading and reviewing. (: Y'all are the best, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am. **

**Reviews & favs are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Conversations

_"Of Females and Feathers"  
><em>**Chapter 6 **

* * *

><p><em>Fluttershy…I'm gay.<em>

Even though she'd just said it, the sentence replayed over and over in Rainbow Dash's mind as she waited for any kind of response whatsoever from Fluttershy. Each second she waited felt like sixty, and her heart had sped up so fast she felt she might collapse at any of those seconds. Fluttershy's expression had again turned to shock, blue eyes wide. Of all the things Rainbow Dash could've said, she'd never expected that would be one of them.

Finally, though, after the moment of shock had passed, she released a breath, and choked out the only thing she could. "…Oh."

The moment instantly became nearly horrifyingly awkward, for both Pegasi. Rainbow flinched back slightly at the response, almost in confusion, but quickly averted her gaze, feeling a blush coming on. She knew it'd been a mistake to even consider telling Fluttershy this; why had she even done it! Now that it was over, though, she felt the urge to run returning to her again, as it always did when she fell into situations she couldn't bring herself to face. She'd successfully ruined any chances of rekindling her old friendship. Now that that was done, there really wasn't anything left.

"I-I'm sorry," she spoke, feeling her eyes beginning to sting. "I'll just…"

Quickly, she turned to make a run for it, ready to crash into something else, die this time for all she cared, but before she could take to the sky, she was stopped by the shocking scream she'd never dreamt she'd hear.

"WAIT!"

The blue Pegasus froze in her tracks, hesitating a moment before looking back to Fluttershy. Fluttershy only caught the gaze with a worried one of her own, but after another moment, she galloped closer again, breaking the new gap between them that had been made. Before she got too close, she stopped, looking away briefly as she tried her best to say something that would calm Rainbow down.

She said, "Rainbow, it's…it's alright. I-I mean, I don't care…if you're gay. I-I've just…well, nopony's ever…"

Obviously the shy pony had never been in a situation like the one she was now a part of. Rainbow Dash barely even cared about that at the moment, though, as the only thing flooding her mind was the fact that she'd just been told it was okay. She hadn't scared Fluttershy off, after all; Fluttershy didn't care. It was almost too good to be true, and Rainbow was still in complete shock. She instantly turned to face the other Pegasus, eyes wide, just wanting to be sure everything would actually be okay.

"I'm not trying to hit on you," she blurted out, cutting off Fluttershy's explanation.

It would forever go down as one of the stupidest first things she'd ever tell anypony, but now that she knew Fluttershy didn't care, the only thing she wanted was to refrain to freaking her out anymore than she already had. Fluttershy dropped her own words and blinked once in surprise. She averted her eyes again for a second, a small blush coming to her cheeks as her jaw remained dropped open slightly. Immediately after, though, she breathed another of her stifled laughs, and shyly smiled back up at Rainbow.

"W-Well…I kinda figured that," she answered.

"You did?" The question was asked in near-complete disbelief.

Fluttershy only gave a small nod.

Rainbow Dash almost seemed a bit taken aback by this, as if it was an answer she definitely shouldn't have gotten. She looked to the ground, a bit more dazed after a moment, and for a while longer, there was only silence between the two ponies again. She'd not only refrained from freaking Fluttershy out, but also from making her think she had some weird, lesbian crush on her? It seemed almost impossible, so Rainbow thought. She definitely wasn't complaining, though.

Once she'd taken a moment of settle into the reality of what had just happened, Rainbow finally met Fluttershy's gaze again, her magenta hues shimmering just a little, with held back emotion. She released a sigh of stunned relief before dropping to the ground in mental exhaustion.

She breathed, "Oh Fluttershy… You have no idea what I've been through."

Apparently, the shy Pegasus noticed that her friend was on the brink of tears. Her eyes widened at seeing Rainbow's collapse, and very hesitantly, she tried to work up some kind of response. It was obviously Rainbow who needed to do the talking, though, so Fluttershy offered the only thing she really could.

"O-Oh my…" she began worriedly. "Um…come on inside. You can tell me everything."

Fluttershy led Rainbow Dash into her cottage, and so began the very first real conversation Rainbow would have about newly-discovered sexuality. It took a moment or two to get started, but once Rainbow began, she didn't stop. She told Fluttershy everything. The Spitfire poster, the Spitfire dream, the situation she'd gotten into with Valerie, getting struck by lightning, she even told her about Gilda. Nothing was left unsaid. And finally, once she'd gotten to the end, the only thing she could do was try not to cry, which turned out to be a lot more difficult for her than it'd been in the past.

It was then that Fluttershy quickly left the living room of her cottage to go to the kitchen and get some tea for the both of them. She'd done her best to make Rainbow feel comfortable about telling the stories, but she didn't want to make her feel awkward about getting the emotion out that went with it. It had obviously been a while for her, since she'd first started holding everything inside. Once Fluttershy returned with tea, silence also returned for a short moment.

Shortly, though, after taking her cup, Rainbow spoke again. "I can't even go around girls anymore. I don't even know how I came around you."

Fluttershy hesitated a little longer before attempting a small smile, trying once again to be soothing. She really wasn't sure what to tell Rainbow about everything, but she knew one thing for sure; she just didn't know if it would be any help.

"Well…ya know, Rainbow," she told her. "Just because you like girls…it doesn't mean you'll…_like_…every mare you meet."

Rainbow looked up to meet her friend's gaze, almost helplessly. Fluttershy continued.

"W-What I mean is, well, I'm sorry if this is kind of obvious, but…mares who like mares…they aren't really that different than mares who like stallions. I-It's the same thing, just…not…with stallions."

"…Do you like mares?" Rainbow asked, confused.

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she instantly looked away, another blush coating her cheeks. "U-Um, w-well…no, not exactly…but…"

"Then how do you know?"

"I…um…I don't know, I just do," she paused, looking back up. "Why would it be any different?"

Rainbow gave a silent sigh, averting her eyes this time. "…I don't know."

She knew Fluttershy was right. There really was no sense in worrying over if she would crush on everypony who was a mare, but she still couldn't help it. There _was _a possibility of crushing on _any _mare, and she hated that possibility. And as unlikely as it was, she still couldn't quite let it go. She wasn't crushing on Fluttershy, though…nor had she crushed on the strange Pegasus who'd helped her get here. Hell, she hadn't even crushed on Valerie, just tried to get away from her so it wouldn't happen. That was three ponies she'd run into recently, and refrained from liking _that _way. But would that pattern really continue? Was her crush on Spitfire, the sex with Gilda, really just a random coincidence?

She wanted them to be coincidences. She wanted to completely accept Fluttershy's weird knowledge on the subject of things. But she just didn't know.

Fluttershy didn't try to argue the topic anymore. She knew Rainbow would see for herself that she didn't need to be scared, once she'd had more time to interact with other mares. She was still pretty surprised to know that Rainbow Dash was a lesbian, since she didn't remember anything like that at all from her flight camp days; then again, they had been quite young back when she was still going. She really didn't care, though. Rainbow had helped her a lot through flight camp, and if Rainbow needed her now, she wanted to be there.

The conversation went on through the night. It'd gone from Rainbow pouring her heart out, to Fluttershy convincing her that there really wasn't anything wrong about being a lesbian, or anything to fear (though Rainbow still had a hard time believing it). Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised to find that her old friend actually seemed to be interested in what all had happened; she really hadn't expected to be up so late _still _telling her about it, or answering questions she had. After a while, though, the subject took a small turn, as the ponies began discussing how their lives had been since Fluttershy moved away. And eventually, as it carried on into the wee hours of the morning, the two fell asleep.

* * *

><p>When the next day arrived, and Rainbow Dash finally awoke, she realized she'd ended up staying at Fluttershy's home overnight without even knowing if Fluttershy was okay with it. She couldn't help but feel a little rude, and she really hoped her friend wouldn't mind. Fluttershy, of course, didn't mind at all. She was already awake and trying to make pancakes (which wasn't going as well as she'd hoped).<p>

It took Rainbow a moment of coming to before she noticed the burning scent from the kitchen, and immediately jumped to her hooves, rushing into the adjacent room to see what was going on.

"Oh dear…oh dear!" The yellow Pegasus whimpered as she frantically tried to use her wings to clear the smoke that the burning pancakes were now making.

"Fluttershy! What the—"

Hurriedly, Rainbow took control of the situation and made Fluttershy get back. She moved the burning pancakes, turned off the stove, and in minutes, she had the smoke, and the kitchen settled down again. She then turned to the other, unable to hold back a immensely dumbstruck look, though it was also painted with a bit of confusion. Based on the way the kitchen looked, the shy pony obviously had no idea what she was doing.

Rainbow sighed. "Pancakes?"

Fluttershy looked away in embarrassment, her cheeks reddening just a little.

"U-Um…yes."

"…Why?"

"I-I…I just wanted to make some breakfast…for us. I-I mean…well…I don't have guests often."

Even if she tried, Rainbow simply couldn't be annoyed. She rolled her eyes, giving another sigh. Fluttershy was only trying to be hospitable. Finally, the blue one shook her head.

She answered, "Well, thanks, but…let's…_not_ burn your cottage down today. Kay?"

"Yes…okay."

For a moment the kitchen was silent, until the two ponies began cleaning everything back up. Fluttershy tried to assure Rainbow Dash she could do it all herself, but Rainbow wasn't about to let her do everything alone. Two ponies could clean up faster than one, after all. Rainbow was actually kind of surprised to see how messy the table was now, from Fluttershy's attempt to mix good pancake batter, but she'd watched her parents clean the kitchen enough to know how to fix everything. Back when she was so young that her mother wouldn't let her go out alone, she spent a good bit of time in the kitchen, just because it was less boring.

When she and Fluttershy were finally close to being done, the shy pony spoke up again with her own question.

She asked, "Um…well…do _you _wanna help me cook something?"

Rainbow turned to give a weird look, brow raised. She couldn't cook. She knew a few things about the kitchen, but she'd never wanted to try cooking for herself.

"…Me?"

"Well…" Fluttershy averted her gaze a moment. "I-I mean, if you want to… You know how to make pancakes?"

Eyes widening, Rainbow finally got it. Her weird knowledge of kitchen stuff had thrown Fluttershy off. She stifled a weird smirk. "Oh. Not really. I've just watched my dad do it. And my mom made me clean sometimes… I never did the cooking part."

"…Oh…sorry," the yellow said through her own sheepish giggle.

With the burning pancakes and the cleaning, Rainbow Dash hadn't even thought about her lesbian worries yet. Her worries over accidentally being rude to Fluttershy by staying at her cottage overnight had left her for a little while as well, but now that things were settling back down, they slowly returned to her. Fluttershy wouldn't have even tried to make the pancakes in the first place if she hadn't had company; so Rainbow couldn't help but feel like this was partially her fault. And her lesbian worries, well, while they'd been gone all morning, Rainbow was about to find them again.

Fluttershy spoke after a pause. "Well, we need to get something to eat, at least. Do you wanna come to town with me to find something? …I could show you around, too."

It wasn't that Rainbow didn't want to come: she really needed to find a place to stay at while she was here. But town meant public, and public meant mares. Everywhere. Upon hearing the question, she backed away just a step or two, her ears lowering slightly as she gave a nervous grin.

"Uhhhh…no…not really."

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she remembered what she'd forgotten for the second there. Of course Rainbow didn't want to go into town again just yet. Immediately, she closed her eyes a moment, giving a smile before she opened them again.

She said, "O-Oh. Right. Sorry. Well, you can just stay here, then, if you want. I'll go get us something. It won't take long."

Staying at the cottage sounded like a much better plan to Rainbow Dash, even if she did really want to find someplace else to stay, so she wouldn't be getting in Fluttershy's way the whole time. And as Fluttershy wanted her to stay comfortable, especially given that it was only the second day she'd been in Ponyville, she did leave after a few moments to get the two of them something to eat, letting Rainbow stay behind. She assured her she'd hurry and get back, but Rainbow really didn't mind how long it took, as long as she could stay where nopony else was. She knew eventually, she'd have to go out. Perhaps tomorrow, or another coming day. For the time being, though, she just wasn't ready yet.

While there weren't any other ponies around, Fluttershy's cottage (or the outside of it, anyway) was home to many animals. They didn't bother Rainbow much, though. Before she'd left, Fluttershy had told Rainbow that she was more than welcome to explore around outside, and that no other ponies lived nearby. Rainbow had stayed inside for a little while after the shy one had gone, but she soon got bored, and decided maybe exploring outside wasn't such a bad idea. After all, she _had_ stayed cooped up at her own home everyday, back when she'd still been there. Being outside just to be outside was something she hadn't done in a while, and something she couldn't deny she missed. Quite a lot, actually.

Rainbow had seen the outside of her friend's cottage when she'd first arrived, but she hadn't really made an effort to look at everything. Now that she was doing so, she was pretty impressed at how nice everything was. Fluttershy certainly knew how to keep a yard looking welcoming, even if she didn't have visitors that often. Rainbow couldn't help but wonder if she preferred it that way or not.

She hadn't expected to find the chickens, and wondered why Fluttershy had them. Did she just like chickens? Ponies didn't eat chickens, so she knew they weren't for _that _purpose; the thought of chickens as food alone was disgusting. Still, that was so weird to her, to have chickens. Maybe it was because she'd been in Cloudsdale so long and wasn't around them that often. In any case, she still stayed by the pin for a few minutes, just looking at them, head tilted in confusion.

Finally, Rainbow Dash gave a sigh and headed down Fluttershy's driveway, toward the entrance of the nearby forest. She'd never been in a forest before, as she'd lived in the sky her whole life, but had always been kind of interested in them. She'd heard other Pegasi talk of them, mostly either about all the horrors in them, or all the wonders. Which of the sides she believed, she didn't know. Still…being here now, right in front of one, she _could _just find out for herself.

Rainbow waited another short moment, and ever so cautiously took a step forward. Before she could take another, though, she felt a hit to the head, and instantly jumped from the ground in surprise, using her wings now. She quickly turned around to see what had happened, but nothing was there. Her eyes widened a little at the finding, but it wasn't frightening her as much as it was confusing her. Until a small pebble came out of nowhere, and she dodged it just in time.

"Hey!" she said aloud, despite not knowing where it'd come from, or who did it. Something had definitely been thrown at her, though.

The Pegasus looked around this time, and finally stopped when her eyes rested on a small white rabbit on the ground a few feet in front of her. For a moment, she only stared at it, blinking once, magenta hues still wide. It didn't look very happy, but of course, she hadn't seen many rabbits, so she had no idea if this was how they typically looked, or if this rabbit was legitimately unhappy. It wasn't like it mattered, though: the rabbit was the only one around, and thus was the only one that could've thrown the pebbles.

Rainbow snorted in annoyance, coming a little closer as she stayed a few feet above the earth. "What'd I do to you, huh?"

The rabbit only gave a sly smile, though, before hurriedly dashing away from the scene. Maybe it was the smile, maybe it was the pebbles, maybe it was simply that he was one of the only rabbits Rainbow Dash had ever seen, but as soon as he made a run for it, she could do nothing but follow after him.

"Hey! Wait!"

The awkward chase carried on for a few minutes. Rainbow didn't even know why she was chasing the rabbit, really; she was a little annoyed, but it wasn't anything worse than other times, where she'd just brushed it off. Not to mention it was just a rabbit. Still, as silly as it seemed, she wanted to know why the hell this rabbit was throwing pebbles, what the hell his motives were. She'd never had an animal throw _anything _at her. What could she even do, though? It wasn't like she intended on hurting the rabbit, or expected him to understand her.

Finally, the chase came to an end as the rabbit ran inside a small hole under the side of Fluttershy's cottage, which was much too small for Rainbow to even try fitting into. She still stayed on the outside, though, peeking in as she continued to speak.

"Oh come on! That is so not fair!"

"Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash instantly lifted herself up from the ground at the inquisition, only to see Fluttershy back again and looking very confused. The shy pony looked her friend over, even more confused to see that she was now covered in dirt, and seemed to be quite tired as well. Which, Rainbow Dash certainly was after all that chasing. She blinked, taking a seat and hoping she hadn't done something _too _bad. A slightly embarrassed blush coated her cheeks.

She answered, "Uhh…hi Fluttershy."

"…What happened?"

"Well…," the blue one looked back over to the side of the cottage again, where the white rabbit had finally poked his head out of the hole he'd been in, and was again, smiling. At this point, though, Rainbow wasn't even annoyed anymore, and she could do nothing but smile as well. Fluttershy stifled a weird giggle as she caught sight of the rabbit.

She said, "Oh. I see you've met Angel Bunny."

"He has a name?"

"Oh yes," Fluttershy nodded, closing her eyes a moment as she kept her smile. "I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble, though…he can be a little mischievous at times. Just don't take anything he does too seriously…"

Rainbow Dash stifled a small, sheepish laugh of her own at the tip, still feeling a bit silly for chasing the rabbit around, even if it had been fun. What she didn't know, however, was that Angel Bunny had only been trying to stop her stupid idea of going into the Everfree Forest, and as he'd successfully done that, he now felt quite proud of himself.

Now that Fluttershy was back with the fruits and vegetables and hay she'd gotten from town, she and Rainbow Dash went back inside the cottage to finally have something to eat. Rainbow took a bath first, though, to get all the dirt and dust out of her coat that she'd gotten into from chasing Angel. Once she finished the bath, she came back into the kitchen where Fluttershy was, and the two shared a meal of hay and apples. Both ponies were hungry, especially Rainbow, who hadn't had anything since she'd left Cloudsdale, so anything edible would've tasted good at the moment.

The ponies talked for a bit about how things had gone at the cottage while Fluttershy was away, but Rainbow Dash changed the direction of the conversation shortly, as she still had something on her mind that she needed to ask her friend about.

"So, um," she began. "Are there any inns around here?"

The yellow Pegasus gave a confused glance at the question. "Inns?"

"Yeah. You know…somewhere I can stay while I'm here?"

She took another bite from the apple she now had, waiting for Fluttershy's response. Fluttershy only kept the confused expression before looking away, though, and keeping her gaze averted for a moment. She almost looked troubled, and it wasn't too long before Rainbow Dash was the confused one. Was it really that hard of a question to answer? Finally, after what seemed like much longer than the short moment it was, Fluttershy responded.

"Oh," she hesitantly looked up again. "U-Um, well…yes, but…you don't like it here?"

Silently, Rainbow sighed. That wasn't what she'd said. Quickly, she answered, trying to remove any accidental rudeness she may have dropped.

"No! I mean, I _do _like it here, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just gonna be staying here a while, and I need to find someplace."

Fluttershy hesitated. "Well…okay."

The shy pony still didn't seem too happy with the idea, which kept Rainbow in confusion. A moment of silence passed the two; Rainbow continued to glance up at Fluttershy every so often, but nothing changed. She expected Fluttershy would be glad to tell her about places she could stay. Rainbow Dash really didn't want to keep sounding rude with her questions, but… she didn't get it.

"…What is it?" she finally asked.

"O-Oh, it's nothing…"

"…Nothing?"

Fluttershy looked up for a quick second, then away again. There was more silence before she gave a tiny smile, and shook her head a little. She'd actually been a little excited about Rainbow staying at her cottage for a while, as she still didn't have too many friends in Ponyville, due to her shy nature. Rainbow being a lesbian hadn't even crossed her mind as something that was all _that _big of a deal. She was just happy to see her again. She wanted to help her out, maybe even become better friends, as Rainbow had done so much for her in flight camp, and especially since… Fluttershy took a second to glance down at her cutie mark, and couldn't help but smile a little more.

She continued, "It's really nothing. I just thought you were going to stay here. But it's fine, I can show you some of our lodgings tomorrow, maybe, if you want."

Rainbow's pink eyes widened at the statement, and this time, it was her turn for silence. She was nearly speechless, really; had she heard that correctly?

"Wait… you _want _me to stay here?"

The yellow pony quickly met her gaze again, almost worriedly. "N-not if you don't want to! It's fine, really, Rainbow Dash."

Unable to speak for a short moment, Rainbow only left her jaw dropped open. She tried again, though, as she didn't want Fluttershy thinking _she _was the one who wanted to leave.

"That's not what I meant! I mean…" she paused for a breath, suddenly feeling very hopeful about what her friend was getting at. "I-I can stay here! If you want me to. I don't have a problem with it, I just… I didn't think you'd… You really don't mind?"

One thing for sure was that Rainbow had never thought Fluttershy would actually want her to stay. She figured the shy pony wouldn't say anything about it if she asked to stay, but Rainbow wouldn't have dreamed of ever actually asking so much, especially not from the pony who didn't seem to mind her sexuality issues at all. If Fluttershy truly did _want _her to stay at the cottage, though, Rainbow couldn't deny she'd much rather do that than stay in town, with ponies she didn't know in the slightest.

Fluttershy looked a bit surprised at the words, but quickly, her expression grew into another smile. She stifled a small laugh, quite relieved to know she hadn't run Rainbow off.

"Of course I don't mind," she assured her. "I told you, I don't get many visitors. I'd enjoy the company."

"…Well…then I guess I'll stay! …Thanks!"

With the last response, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but give a small laugh of her own. She hesitated before finishing her apple, still nearly unable to process that she officially had somewhere to stay now, somewhere she'd feel comfortable. But she did. It wasn't a fantasy, or a joke, or a dream. She still felt the same small worry that Fluttershy might just be trying to show hospitality again, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before; the shy pony had seemed nearly sad to find out that Rainbow was actually trying to find another place to stay.

Fluttershy, though she didn't let it show too badly, was very excited about Rainbow staying at her place. She'd never forgotten her, not only because of flight camp, but also because she'd always held Rainbow at least partially responsible for helping her discover her cutie mark. She loved Rainbow. Not in a way that was more than the friendship she wanted to have with her, but nevertheless, she did. Fluttershy had never even expected to see her again, and now that she was here, visiting her town, seeking out her help, she wanted nothing but to be able to help her as much as she'd done in the past. She'd never be able to thank her enough. But for the brave mare she admired so much, she could try.

When the two ponies finished their food, Fluttershy gave her new roommate a real tour of the cottage, as it was officially her home as well now, at least for a while. Neither of them knew at the moment how soon that would change, or if it would change at all, given that Rainbow was only visiting. But it wasn't something they needed to worry about at the moment. At the moment, both of them were content, and, especially for Rainbow, that was all that was currently needed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed...and I hope I got Fluttershy down. If her admiration for Dashie seemed kinda shippy...oops. Not supposed to be. I mean, if you like RainbowShy, I don't mind if you thought it was cute, but...yeah, no shipping till sequel. Sorry. ): <strong>

**My poll for this fic is still up, if anyone who hasn't answered it wants to. I'd really love to see more opinions! I'm surprised at how many people want Dashie's parents to find out! Haha. That's so cool. **

**Also, I've noticed that a handful of my readers actually like Gilda (which makes me happy - I like her too), and want to see more of her. She'll return eventually. However, if you want more of her NOW, there is a friend of mine (SoundofRainfall), who is currently writing a very good story about her past. And I'd highly recommend it to any Gilda fan, or just anyone who's interested in reading some good Gilda background. The fic is called "The Endless Sky," and it SHOULD be in my favorites. If it's not, you can get to SoundofRainfall's page from my reviews, and find it there. Or, just search for it, I guess. (:**

**Reviews & favs are highly appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned.**


	7. First Steps

**(Yes, I changed my pen name! It's still me, though! lol.)**

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 7 <strong>

* * *

><p>Rainbow still wasn't sure what she was feeling about Ponyville as a whole. It was a nice place, even if also a little scary. Having somewhere to stay, though, as well as knowing Fluttershy truly didn't care that she liked mares, were both things that were slowly, but surely, making her stay a whole lot better than she'd imagined it would be. Even if she hadn't quite realized it yet.<p>

It'd only been a few days since she'd moved in with Fluttershy, making it her current home until she either found someplace else to go, or went back home. She still didn't know how long she'd be in Ponyville: before she'd left, she'd asked her parents how long she was staying, but her mother had only given her a funny look, and told her she could stay as long as she wanted to, or, as she knew her mother was _really _thinking, as long as it took her to feel like herself again.

Rainbow Dash hadn't been looking forward to staying in Ponyville at all at first. Now that she'd told Fluttershy everything, though, and Fluttershy had still accepted her, and she even had somewhere to stay, even she couldn't deny she felt a lot better about it.

As it had only been the first few days, Fluttershy hadn't asked her to come to town anymore yet, which Rainbow was happy about. She continued to stay at the cottage whenever Fluttershy went out, usually wandering around outside like she'd done the first time. She'd actually grown quite fond of Angel Bunny, even if he could be a trouble-maker, and often than not, she found herself playing whatever weird games they managed to make up together. Though it was still annoying as hell how the rabbit always seemed to win those games. Rainbow was used to being the winner; she'd just have to get used to it, though.

But it wasn't only that. Rainbow had also discovered that she could pretty much fly all she wanted around Fluttershy's home, and still not be seen by anyone else. It was definitely the coolest part about the temporary home so far, as flying was what she missed the most out of everything she'd stopped doing recently. She didn't care too much who saw her flying all the way out here, though, as there wasn't a very big chance anyone would confront her about it. She'd even finally gotten as bold as to go on up to the clouds above the cottage sometimes, and watch Ponyville from afar, or just sleep, whichever she was in the mood to do.

It was barely no time at all before those few days expanded into a fortnight, though. And the more time that passed, the closer Fluttershy came to her return to the suggestion she'd had in the beginning. She wanted Rainbow to be happy, and to get over her issues, but even she knew that as long as Rainbow continued to avoid the issues, they would only continue to stay.

So on the night after the fortnight of Rainbow's stay had hit, Fluttershy decided it was time to try again.

"U-Um…Rainbow Dash?"

The two ponies were eating dinner together, as they did every night. Tonight it was daisy sandwiches, and Fluttershy had gotten a coconut cake from the town's Sugar Cube Corner to have for dessert. Rainbow happily ate her sandwich, as she was currently in a great mood from the flying she'd done earlier; she started to answer her friend, but quickly, her mind went elsewhere.

"Yeah?" she asked. "Oh! I almost forgot, I have an _amazing _new trick I did today, and I have to show you tomorrow! I was gonna show you earlier, but I forgot."

The pony's polychromatic tail flicked in excitement as she took another bite of her sandwich; she also barely remembered that Fluttershy had just tried to get her attention. Fluttershy took a pause, looking away and giving a polite smile at the remark. She could easily see Rainbow's mind was on other things besides listening to her, but she continued, nevertheless.

She said, "That sounds really great, Rainbow…I can't wait to see…but, um…I-I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something."

"It's totally great! And you'll be the first pony to _ever _see it! You could tell the Wonderbolts about the experience for me whenever they realize I'm the perfect new member for their team!"

Again, Fluttershy was silent for a short moment, but kept her patience. She was actually more than happy that Rainbow had gained a good bit of her confidence back since she'd been staying over, but she also knew that only intensified the fact that it was time for her friend to take the next step. If only she could get it out.

The shy one smiled again, though used a more serious tone this time. "I'd love to, but, Rainbow…?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. What?"

Finally, Rainbow Dash was paying attention. She remained as happy as she'd been a moment ago, still smiling, which Fluttershy hoped would bring something good. Perhaps if she was in a good mood, she'd be more willing to go along with the new suggestion. Otherwise, Fluttershy really didn't know how she would convince her to go along, if she wouldn't from the start. But she knew she had to try. Two weeks was quite a while to avoid troubles, after all. Especially ones that really weren't all that bad.

"W-Well, you see," Fluttershy began. "You've been here for…a good while, now, and…I was just thinking…"

Rainbow suddenly frowned as worry overshadowed her face, which only caused Fluttershy to pause again. Did Rainbow know what she was getting at? Well, she had her worries, even if they weren't exactly correct. A brief moment passed before the blue pony's worried expression mixed with a bit of sadness.

She asked, "You don't want me to stay anymore?"

The question brought instant surprise to Fluttershy, and her face showed it. Quickly, she corrected Rainbow's worries.

"Oh no! That's not it! It's just…well…I was wondering if…you'd come to town tomorrow? With me?"

As her reply carried on, it got progressively softer; the shy one did want Rainbow to finally get out of the house, but she knew she'd be much too afraid to edge the suggestion on anymore than simply asking it. Which meant this was her only chance to suggest it, for at least another week. She knew Rainbow needed it. She knew it was time for her to face her fears. But being the pony she was, Fluttershy would never try to force this. It was all up to Rainbow now.

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize what exactly Fluttershy was asking her. And immediately, of course, she felt herself growing a bit tense with the very thought of going out into the public, filled-with-mares world. Her immediate answer was indeed _no, _though she didn't give it aloud. For a while, only silence filled the kitchen where they were eating. Rainbow looked away as a nervous blush coated her cheeks. When she finally looked back, though, contemplating whether she should just go ahead and give the no or not, it was Fluttershy's worried gaze that caught her attention more than anything else: it was almost identical to the ones her mother had given her back home.

They truly were worried. Her mother, father, and now Fluttershy. This worry was different, though, even if it looked the same. It was only then that the thought crossed Rainbow Dash's mind, that Fluttershy was completely serious about this. She really wanted her to try, to climb this mountain she'd been stumbling on for over a month now. And she also really believed, that if she did try, she would be okay. It was still scary. Rainbow still didn't want to do it. But with these new thoughts, she couldn't say no. Not anymore.

It was time.

Finally, Rainbow sighed, shakily. Her heart felt as if it would stop, but she could no longer deny that Fluttershy was right. It was time to stop hiding.

"…With you?"

Fluttershy hesitantly gave a nod, keeping her same demeanor.

Rainbow swallowed, continuing. "…How long?"

"I…don't know. I guess…however long it takes me to show you around," she told her, then added quickly. "I'm sure it won't be too long."

That brought a bit more of a relief. If it was going to be with Fluttershy, and not too long, perhaps it really wouldn't be so bad. Rainbow had no idea, but she certainly hoped so. She knew Fluttershy was truly doing anything she could to make this future trip easy for her, though, and she knew at this point, she'd said no enough times.

"…Okay."

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she shifted back just a little, blinking once. She was very obviously in complete shock at the word. Quickly, though, she became nearly confused, as if she doubted what she'd heard. She leaned forward again.

"O…Okay?"

Rainbow Dash forced the tiniest smile she'd ever given as she affirmed, "…Yeah. I'll go."

It took a few seconds for the answer to process in Fluttershy's mind, as she honestly hadn't been expecting a yes. Eyes still wide, she only stayed dumbstruck, but in no time at all, she'd nearly leapt from across the table to tackle her friend with joy, a move that shocked Rainbow almost as much as her answer had shocked Fluttershy. The shy one's burst of excitement was definitely something Rainbow had never seen until now.

"OH THANK YOU! Rainbow, it's going to be so much fun, I promise! Promise promise! You won't regret it!"

If it'd been any other female doing this, the move would've been another of those things that didn't help Rainbow in the least. Hell, it would've made her even worse. But it was Fluttershy, and though the blue pony couldn't help but blush just a little from the awkward proximity, she was also weirdly happy that she'd apparently made Fluttershy's week.

"…Yeah," she answered with a small smile.

As it usually went when Fluttershy did something that wasn't quite Fluttershy-ish, though, the shy pony almost immediately jumped off of her, backing away a bit and returning to her original place from across the table.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she said, but kept her smile. "I'm just really happy you said yes."

Rainbow only stifled a short laugh. "It's okay."

* * *

><p>It seemed like no time at all before tomorrow hit, and it was time for Rainbow Dash's second trip ever into Ponyville. She still couldn't honestly say she was ready for this at all, but as long as she had Fluttershy alongside her, as well as the memory that she really hadn't been noticed all too much the first time she'd been in the town, she supposed she would try to stay optimistic. Maybe it wouldn't really be as bad as she worried it'd be.<p>

Fluttershy made sure to plan the trip more toward mid-morning than afternoon, simply because fewer ponies would be in town then, and that would hopefully make things easier for Rainbow Dash. When she told Rainbow Dash the detail, the shy one was relieved to see that her friend liked the idea. And Rainbow was indeed quite grateful. The fewer ponies, the better, for now. She just wanted to get the whole visit over with, and if fewer ponies would be in town, it'd take less time to see everything Fluttershy intended on showing her, along with having fewer females to worry over. It really was a good plan.

So with hopes that everything would work out as imagined, the two set off for Ponyville.

Rather than flying, they'd decided to walk their journey. It'd take a little longer to get there, but Fluttershy preferred walking most of the time, anyway, and in the current situation, so did Rainbow. Still, they didn't dawdle too long, as the morning wouldn't last all day, and the later it got, the more ponies would arrive. It only took about ten minutes to get there; Rainbow Dash couldn't decide if she was happy with this or not. Either way, they had finally arrived, and it was time to face Ponyville.

"Just try to stay calm, okay, Rainbow Dash? Stay next to me and everything will be alright."

The words didn't do as much to help as Fluttershy's presence did, which Rainbow discovered rather quickly. She did as Fluttershy said, though, and followed her lead as they walked through Ponyville. Just as the shy one had said, it wasn't nearly as crowded as it'd been the first time Rainbow had visited; rather easily, the two made their way through the town, and Fluttershy pointed out the different shops and other places of interest, as well as mentioned a few of the ponies that lived around.

"Remember that coconut cake?" she asked, pointing out another shop. "I got that from this place, Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake run the shop, by the way. They're such nice ponies."

Though the trip wasn't turning out to be nearly as bad as Rainbow had worried, she was still nervous, and not paying as much attention as she should've been: she couldn't stop herself from looking around, just to make sure nopony was staring in her direction. Staying calm was both easy, and difficult at the same time, in her situation.

She replied quietly, "…That's cool."

As they passed the shop and continued on their way, Fluttershy introduced a few more of the places to her, including mentioning the apple farm that was close by; she told Rainbow she would see more of it another day, rather than this one, which the blue-coated pony was quite content with. Rainbow Dash could easily tell how happy Fluttershy was taking her on this tour, but despite that, and despite her own worries, she found herself growing a little more on the bored side as time went on. Ponyville was nice, very nice, really, but there was only so much walking around and looking at buildings that Rainbow could find all _that _interesting.

She soon found herself looking up at the clouds, and feeling the need to be up there again. But almost as soon as the longing hit her, Fluttershy finally came to a stop, and turned to her again with a small smile. Rainbow brought her attention back to her shy friend, but couldn't help noticing the small, almost baroque-style structure they were now standing in front of.

"Um…so what's that one?" she asked, pointing a hoof in the direction.

Rather than answering the question directly, though, Fluttershy kept her smile, and quite quickly, it became a little more awkwardly nervous. She averted her eyes for just a moment, before bringing them back and finally speaking again.

"W-Well…Rainbow Dash," she began. "I actually have sort of a confession to make."

Rainbow instantly brought her attention back completely to Fluttershy, now that she'd made the strange, unexpected comment. She honestly had no idea what the other was talking about, but something told her it wasn't good. A confession? Was she hiding something? Suddenly, Rainbow found herself completely focused on whatever Fluttershy was speaking of, and forgetting all about the other worries she had. She even raised her voice a little more now, though she really wasn't sure if she wanted to know what this was or not.

Confusedly, she asked, "W…What?"

She felt a little more panic rising up again, but tried to push it away; she didn't even know what it was yet. It couldn't _really _be all _that_ bad, could it? The word alone kind of made it feel that way, though…_confession. _What kind of confession was she even talking about?

Fluttershy took a short pause before she continued, ever-so-hesitantly.

"Well…you see…I…kind of…told a friend of mine about you…and that we might visit today."

Instantly, magenta hues widened as Rainbow flinched back, releasing a near-silent gasp. Also instantly, her previous worries crept up behind her again as the shadowing fears they'd been in the beginning. Fluttershy, the one she'd entrusted everything to, had told someone about her? She'd no idea what all had been told, but hearing such a thing still nearly took the breath right out from under her. Fluttershy hadn't even told her she'd been planning this! Hadn't even gotten her permission!

"WHAT?"

It was all Rainbow could get out, as she backed away a little more, wings and ears folding back and her heart speeding up again. She could feel her paranoia returning, as well as a bit of anger; who the hell did Fluttershy even think she was, telling something like this? Quickly, though, the shy pony raised a hoof, her own expression nearly coming to match Rainbow's.

"I-I didn't say anything about—that!" she frantically assured. "P-Please don't be upset! I-I promise I didn't! I just told her about…you. As my friend. A-and she wanted to meet you! That's all!"

At the assuring words, Rainbow felt a wave of relief hit her almost instantly, and she could do nothing but fall into a sitting position as her eyes closed a moment, ears and wings still tucked.

She sighed deeply. "Geeze Fluttershy..."

The shy pony blinked, her gaze quickly becoming a more guilt-ridden one, as she wondered if maybe she shouldn't have even said a word about Rainbow Dash at all, even as just a friend. She truly hadn't meant to cause any trouble; but she didn't want Rainbow to remain friendless for the whole time she was here (well, remain with only _one _friend), and not to mention, she knew that if Rainbow didn't eventually see that she could both be gay _and _have friends, she would only continue to spiral downward. Some good friendships were exactly what the distraught pony needed, so Fluttershy believed.

"U-Um…is that okay?" she finally asked, much more softly. "You're not mad, are you?"

Rainbow looked up at her again, and couldn't help but give another silent sigh. She knew Fluttershy meant well. And she wasn't angry with her. Still, she could've said that to begin with, instead of scaring the shit out of her. She couldn't say she was overjoyed at the idea of meeting somepony _else, _but she'd take that in a heartbeat over somepony else knowing her secret. As for somepony else guessing her secret…she'd just have to trust Fluttershy, and her other experiences, that that wasn't exactly as likely as she worried.

The blue one shook her head. "No. I'm not. It's fine."

"Oh...I'm so glad," Fluttershy sighed, letting another smile grace her lips. She then turned to the small store they were in front of, and looked back to Rainbow, who was getting to her hooves again. "Well, my friend is in here. And this will also be the last stop before we go home. I promise."

That was good to know, at least. Rainbow Dash tried her best to swallow down her worries, and hesitantly followed Fluttershy into the place. She stayed behind her as they entered, and tried to be optimistic again: perhaps, since this pony was Fluttershy's friend, she'd be a lot like Fluttershy. She wouldn't mind another sweet, quiet, understanding pony as a friend. It was actually a nice balance, she thought, as Rainbow herself wasn't exactly the quiet type at all. If this pony really was like Fluttershy, she probably didn't have anything to worry about. The thought almost made Rainbow feel better as they entered the store.

As soon as they were in, Fluttershy called the pony's name, and asked if she was busy; and almost immediately, the two got an answer as the pony came out from the back room to greet them.

"Fluttershy, you know I'm never too busy for you, dear!"

The snow-white unicorn gave a bright smile as she approached them, her lovely styled purple mane bouncing along slightly as she walked. She was definitely a sight to see, and suddenly, Rainbow didn't feel so good about this visit after all. If this pony's personality matched her looks, she definitely wasn't like Fluttershy. At all.

Fluttershy smiled back. "Yeah. I know. Well, um…"

She stepped aside just a bit, and looked back behind her at Rainbow Dash, whose ears were lowered back again with worry. At the sight of her, Rarity's blue eyes widened, and she and Rainbow only stared at one another for a short moment. Rainbow finally attempted a small smile, but before she could barely do so, the unicorn gasped, quite loudly, and rushed forward to her new acquaintance. The gesture instantly caused Rainbow to jump away as she felt her heart nearly stop, for no other reason than the complete unexpectedness of it; she fell back into a sitting position, but even with all that, Rarity only jumped closer, practically invading every bit of personal space Rainbow had as she brought a hoof to the side of the scared one's face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Fluttershy! Is this your friend?"

"Y-Yes…this is Rainbow Dash…"

From the look on her face, Fluttershy obviously hadn't been expecting Rarity's move either, but soon, the reasoning behind it came to light. Rarity looked back to Fluttershy, then to the now-terrified Pegasus again; she brought her hoof back down as she sighed her next words in excited awe.

She began, "Oh,_ darling! _Your _mane! _Fluttershy never mentioned this!Oh, how _lovely! _Those _colors! _Is this _natural, _dear?"

Once she'd gotten the words out, the white pony gave a grin, obviously expecting a real answer to her question. Rainbow, though still completely in shock, was relieved to know this was only about her mane, even if with or without anything else, Rarity was still scaring her…quite a bit. The unicorn finally moved back again, realizing her mistake.

"Oh my, do forgive me. My name is Rarity. I am a fashion designer, and I simply could not help but notice it! …And you are Rainbow Dash, hm?"

Fluttershy was friends with a…fashion designer? Maybe it really wasn't as surprising or weird as it seemed, but Rainbow certainly never would've guessed it. She remained in her position, ears still lowered a little, but she was more than grateful that Rarity had moved out of her bubble now. Hesitantly, Rainbow looked over to Fluttershy, who gave a weak smile that was both apologetic and pleading; it wasn't hard to see that the shy pony was mentally begging her to give Rarity another chance, despite the outburst. With a silent sigh, Rainbow brought her gaze back to the unicorn, and attempted the smile again.

She said, "Y-Yeah. Rainbow Dash."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, darling," the unicorn gave a charmingly polite bow of the head. "Welcome to my boutique!"

Rarity then stepped back a bit more, and lifted a hoof in an outward direction, smile still bright.

She continued, "Please, feel free to look around. I also have filtered water, and coffee, if you'd like some, completely free of charge; any friend of Fluttershy's is a friend of mine!"

Rainbow Dash finally did take a look around at the suggestion, as she'd had other things on her mind when she and Fluttershy had first walked in. The inside of the boutique was nearly just as fancy and baroque as the outside, which wasn't really all too surprising, especially if this unicorn was indeed a fashion designer. She didn't want anything to drink, though, so she only shook her head with a nervous smile.

"Um. No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Rarity blinked. "Hm. Suit yourself, then..." within a short moment, the familiar grin returned to her face. "About that mane, though… _is _it natural?"

At the question, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stifle an awkward laugh, as a small blush crept its way upon her cheeks. She averted her gaze; nopony had ever been this interested in her mane before. But now knowing the career of Rarity's choice, she supposed she could understand the interest. Did no other ponies really have similar manes, though? Now that she was thinking about it, Rainbow couldn't recall any others she'd ever seen with the rainbow colors of her and her father.

"Yeah. It's natural. I got it from my dad," she answered her finally.

"Oh how lovely!" Rarity complimented, before a pause. "Would you ever be interested in modeling, you think?"

As the next question completely threw Rainbow off guard, she couldn't help but flinch a bit again, magenta eyes widening. Never in her life had she even considered modeling, or dreamt anypony would ever ask her to. She definitely wasn't model material, though, she knew that much: being a part of anything that involved photoshoots and standing still forever would definitely be torture.

"…Modeling?" She made certain her tone matched her dumbstruck confusion.

"Why, yes! Those colors you have would match with absolutely _anything! _You'd be _perfect." _

The unicorn was starting to frighten her again, and luckily this time, as she took a couple steps back, Fluttershy took a few forward, finally breaking the conversation and knowing her friend needed such a break.

She said, "U-Um, well, Rarity… Rainbow's actually kinda new here, and she doesn't want much attention yet. I-I don't think the modeling would be such a good idea…"

"…No?" Rarity asked, looking to both girls a moment and then nervously rolling her eyes to herself. "I mean, yes, of course. Maybe some other time then."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stayed at the boutique for a while longer, just so Rainbow could have a little more time to get to know Rarity. Fluttershy knew Rainbow wasn't exactly ready to stay for _too _long a time, though, so after a few more minutes, she told her unicorn friend they needed to be on their way, and they left the boutique to head back home.

Rainbow Dash was more than happy to be going back to the cottage again, especially since Rarity had freaked her out just a little, even if she _was _also quite a nice pony. She was again relieved to see that her homosexuality was virtually undetectable. She didn't quite understand what Fluttershy's motives had been with her meeting Rarity, though, as it certainly didn't seem like the two of them would ever be all _that _close. Rainbow sure as hell wasn't planning on being a model, nor was she planning on playing the role for some glamorous unicorn.

Though her shy friend could gather that much pretty easily, she still commenced conversation on the way home, in hopes to smooth things out a little.

"That wasn't so bad…right?" she asked. "I know Rarity can seem a little…overexcited…sometimes, but she's a very nice pony. One of my only friends here, too. I know she's _so_ happy that you came to visit."

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a funny look as they walked on: it almost seemed to her that Fluttershy was the one who was happier about it. Sure, Rarity had enjoyed the visit, and had loved Rainbow's mane, and wanted her to model, but none of those things had been planned.

The blue one snorted softly. "Well that's cool…but I hope she knows I'm not modeling for her. Ever."

Even if she'd tried, Fluttershy wouldn't have been able to hold back her giggle.

It was great to be back at the cottage again once they'd gotten there. They'd only spent about an hour and a half in Ponyville, but even though there was still a while before the day was over, Rainbow was perfectly fine spending it in the skies above Fluttershy's place.

* * *

><p><strong>Guhh, yeah, that ending is abrupt, I know. But the chapter is long enough! Good things, though, guys: I'm officially past the halfway point! Only five more chapters left, I think. <strong>

**Anyhow...**

**FIFTY REVIEWS? FIFTY? I can't even BEGIN to thank you lovelies enough for this! Y'all are the best fans ever! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Every single one of you, if you've left me feedback, you have my heart! Well...metaphorically speaking. ;) I'm so happy and honored at all the love this story is getting! **

**I have a surprise posted on my profile now: I used the pony creator on deviantART to make Rigel and Breezie. So if anyone wants to see Rainbow's mom and dad, the links are posted in my latest profile update! **

**Also, my poll is still up, if anyone still wants to answer it. **

**And lastly, I've done a couple one-shots between writing this story. For all of you who like shipping, both of my new fics involve it! I won't say who, but I'd love it if you checked them out for me sometime. Of course, even if you don't, I still love you all. (: So much!**

**Reviews & favs are very appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned!**


	8. Progression

_"Of Females and Feathers"  
><em>**Chapter 8 **

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mom and Dad,<em>

_I hope both of you are doing alright at home. And I hope you aren't missing me too horribly. I was planning on only staying here in Ponyville for a few weeks, but Fluttershy doesn't want me to leave yet, and to be honest, neither do I. I was kinda worried it wouldn't be fun here, but I'm actually liking it more than I thought. Don't worry, I'll come home eventually. But I'm gonna stay a while longer. I still don't know how much longer, but…I'll tell you more about it in my next letter. I love you guys and I hope you don't mind. _

_Love,  
>Rainbow Dash<em>

The letter had been written nearly two months ago. And if one were to rewind back a few weeks before it had been written, it would be quite hard to miss that Rainbow Dash hadn't felt the same way she did now at all.

Initially, it had been Fluttershy who'd wanted her to stay, and Fluttershy who Rainbow had stayed for, as she had very much enjoyed the pony's friendship thus far. The two had taken more trips into town after their first one, as time went on. Rainbow hadn't been too thrilled about them, but the more she'd taken, the more relaxed she became over them, and it had soon become something that really wasn't so bad after all. She still worried over the possibility that somepony else would realize the sexuality she tried so hard to hide; all the experiences she'd had with it, though, had toned the worry down quite a good bit.

She and Fluttershy had even paid Rarity a few more visits, despite the crazy first impression she'd left Rainbow with. However, Rainbow had soon learned that Rarity truly was a good friend to have, as she spent more time around her. And that her career as a fashion designer certainly wasn't the only aspect that defined her. Rarity was always trying to do something for somepony else, be it fixing an outfit as perfectly as she could, or offering free drinks to anypony who ended up staying a while. She carried a heart of gold with her, even if her demeanor could sometimes hide such a fact, and Rainbow could easily see now why she and Fluttershy were such close friends, as well as why Fluttershy had wanted her to meet her as well.

Also as the few weeks had strolled into a couple months, Rainbow had grown even bolder as to stay in Ponyville by herself sometimes. Of course, her current idea of that was staying in the clouds above the town: she still wasn't quite comfortable with being down in the crowd without Fluttershy at her side. Being able to feel at ease in the skies above was nevertheless a huge step for her, so she liked to think.

Fluttershy and Rarity hadn't stayed the only reasons Rainbow was enjoying Ponyville more as the days passed, though. She'd also made another unlikely friend in the past months, but a friend who'd helped her almost as much as Fluttershy, even if in a slightly different way. Mainly due to the fact that while Rainbow Dash had been set on finding friends who could help her on a more understanding level, she'd completely forgotten how great it could feel to have friends who were simply, a lot like her in general.

One of the things the polychromatic pony had taken a habit of doing lately, was going off away from Fluttershy's cottage every so-often, just to give Fluttershy some alone time, as she knew being around somepony all the time could get old. And it was one of these times that she'd run into the third pony she now considered to be a friend.

* * *

><p><em>She'd certainly picked the perfect spot to relax for a while. There were barely any ponies around this place, and given that, Rainbow Dash was actually quite glad that Fluttershy had brought her here a week ago. The two of them hadn't stuck around for very long; Fluttershy had only shown her all the trees in the distance, and told her how delicious the apples were. And, well, Rainbow couldn't say she had an argument there. Ponyville's apples were pretty amazing.<em>

_With nopony around to bother her, and nothing to worry about, the Pegasus had settled down in one of the treetops for a nap. What she hadn't been expecting, though, was the surprise that came next from the sudden, sharp jolt from below the branches that shook her right out of place and sent her falling to the ground. Or rather, falling right at the hooves of another pony. _

"_AH!"_

"_Whoa Nelly!" _

_The orange pony leapt out of the way just in time, her eyes wide with surprise at the one who'd just fallen from her apple tree. She'd never gotten another pony from apple bucking, that was for sure. And with how skilled she was at it, she knew full well how hard the fall probably was. Hurriedly, she came closer, green hues wide moreso with worry now than the surprise from earlier. _

_She said, "Why, I am so sorry! I didn't even see ya up there! …Are you alright, sugar cube?"_

_The fall had indeed been a hard one. Rainbow Dash only groaned, her own eyes still closed. She hadn't even had time to stop the fall with her wings. The Pegasus finally took a look at what had happened at the question she was asked, but at the sight of the earth pony ahead of her, her eyes widened before she instantly scrambled to her hooves, feeling her cheeks growing warm. This was the first time she'd ever run into another female alone, without expecting such a thing; she thought she was safe up there! Rainbow took a few steps back, unable to stop the small whimper from escaping her throat. It was Valerie all over again, only scarier. _

_The earth pony only seemed confused at Rainbow's actions, though, and moved her head to the side just a bit. _

"_Um…miss?" _

_Rainbow still didn't answer. She tried backing away a few steps more, but she felt her backside run right into the apple tree she'd fallen out of, and with that, she squeaked, dropping to the ground and shutting her eyes tight again. Pleasegoawaypleasegoaway, she mentally cried out at the new pony, but the orange one only snorted, and slowly approached her again. _

_She continued, "Now listen, I ain't gonna do nothin' to ya. I hadn't seen you around these parts, so I'm just gonna guess ya didn't know any better. We here at Sweet Apple Acres, take real pride in our apple trees, so we actually don't allow any uses of 'em other than buckin' and gettin' our fruit. But like I said, it's alright this once. Now c'mon, lemme lend ya a hoof, don't be scared." _

_At the kind words, Rainbow could really do nothing but open her eyes again to see the earth pony extending a hoof with an understanding smile. And suddenly, a part of her really didn't want to come off as rude to this pony. Though sleeping in the trees wasn't allowed, she was already forgetting the situation entirely, and even offering help to the one who'd just been doing that. Rainbow stayed in her position for a moment longer, but tried to calm herself with Fluttershy's knowing advice that she wasn't going to crush on every mare she met, simply because she liked mares. She knew Fluttershy was right. She'd known that for a while now, so why was it still haunting her? _

_Rainbow finally gave a near-silent growl at herself, before fighting every ounce of the stupid worry in her, and extending her own hoof out for the orange pony to take. She couldn't keep allowing this to take over her life. Especially when all her worries had proven to be just that, ever since she'd first begun dealing with them. _

_The earth pony's smile grew as she helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves again. _

"_See there," she told her. "I promise I'll let ya slide this once. Anyhow, my name's Applejack. And you are?"_

_Rainbow returned the smile, just a little. "…Rainbow Dash." _

"_Well it's mighty fine makin' your acquaintance, Rainbow Dash," she answered through a small laugh, tickled by how shy the blue one seemed to be at the moment. In the months to come, she would see just how wrong the assumption was. Applejack paused, looking down at the apples she'd just bucked out of the tree along with the new pony before she continued. "Ya like apples? You can have one if ya like. My apologies for sendin' ya down so hard." _

_Lowering her head down to nudge one of the apples closer to Rainbow, she gave another smile, and raised back up as she turned around again, preparing to give the apple tree another kick. "Y'all are gonna have to move now, though, so I can finish my applebuckin'."_

_Rainbow Dash did like apples, so she hesitantly knelt down to take the one she'd been offered in her mouth, and quickly moved away from the tree as Applejack warned. She stayed a few feet away, though, just out of sheer curiosity: never had she seen a pony applebuck before, again due to living in Cloudsdale her whole life. As she watched the act, she was surprised to see how slow an act it actually was. This was how earth ponies got all their apples from the trees? All the time? Not only was it surprising, it was confusing, especially since no other ponies seemed to be around doing it but Applejack. _

_The Pegasus waited a moment more, but finally, she could no longer help herself. She wasn't crushing on this pony so far, so she supposed it was safe; hesitantly, Rainbow put her apple back on the ground, and spoke up. _

"_You…do this all by yourself?" she asked. "Every tree?"_

_As Applejack finished the tree she was on and headed to the next, she stopped, blinking her green eyes once. The questioned nearly confused her, but quickly, she realized this new pony knew little about applebucking._

_She said, "Well, not always. Today I'm workin' alone, but usually Big Macintosh and a few a' the others 'round here help out. Gotta make sure to get some done every day, fall already comin' in and all. But yeah, every tree. Why?"_

_Rainbow Dash took a second or two to look around at all the apple trees nearby. It was only about noon, and she couldn't even imagine one pony doing all this for the rest of the day. Not to mention, with it already being harvest season, the ponies doing the job would have to work even harder to get all the apples picked. She thought about leaving with the apple she'd been given, but at the same time, it wasn't like she had anything else to do. _

"…_I could help if you want." _

_At the suggestion, Applejack blinked in surprise, but after a short moment, she gave the Pegasus a funny look, and chuckled lightly. _

"_That's real sweet of ya to offer, sugar cube," she began, pausing just to scan her eyes over Rainbow again; she raised a brow with a smile. "But it's only one day. I can handle it myself. Besides, I'm sure those wings a' yours get a much better workout than your legs." _

_She hadn't intended for the statement to come off as rude, or challenging for that matter: it'd merely been an observation (and a correct one, at that). But Rainbow Dash, of course, was immediately taken aback by it. So because she was a Pegasus, it automatically meant she wasn't as strong as a workpony? She suddenly felt herself growing quite bothered by the statement, even if Applejack hadn't really meant anything by it. As the earth pony carried on with her apple bucking, Rainbow gave a snort, and came a bit closer. She simply couldn't ignore it. The way she understood it, she was practically being called inferior, and that was enough to make her forget everything on her mind, except just that. _

_She asked, "And what's that supposed to mean?"_

_Again, Applejack paused from her bucking with a near helpless expression; she really needed to get her work done, and as much as she was trying to be kind, she wasn't enjoying these interruptions at all. Especially given that at least this one, she didn't quite understand. She sighed quietly._

"…_Rainbow Dash, I'm real sorry, but I'm tryin' to get these apples bucked."_

"_And you don't think I can do it?"_

"…_What?"_

"_I can buck apples just as good as you can! Probably faster too!"_

_What had come over her, even Rainbow didn't completely know. But she sure as hell wasn't about to let some earth pony get away with acting like she wasn't strong. Even if the earth pony had been pretty nice to her before. Applejack, on the other hoof, only remained confused…until Rainbow's last words. _

"_I never said you couldn't do it! But honey, I been workin' on this farm my whole life. I was born and raised into applebuckin', and there ain't a mare around who can do it like I can!" she paused, only give a snort, and this time, with every intention of challenging the other, she concluded. "If you really think you got the skills to match mine, though, you better be ready to back them words up!"_

* * *

><p>Although Rainbow's attempt at proving she could applebuck just as good, and faster than Applejack, hadn't gone as well as she'd planned in the least, she still looked back at the experience happily, as if it hadn't happened, she wouldn't have Applejack as a friend now. Rainbow Dash's big words had gotten her into quite a mess that day: the earth pony had taken her challenge, and the two began a one-on-one applebucking competition, in which Rainbow very quickly realized just how experienced Applejack was at the skill, and also quickly realized that even if she <em>could <em>applebuck, she'd never be able to do it better than the one who'd done it her whole life.

Of course, thankfully for Rainbow, Applejack had refrained from rubbing it in her face once she'd shown her up. And Rainbow had found herself amazed that the orange one could keep up with the applebucking for as long as she had: it was almost as if she was incapable of getting tired…or maybe it'd only seemed that way given that Rainbow's lack of experience had her tiring out after the first few trees. Either way, there wasn't even a slim chance of the two not staying friends afterward, especially since Applejack had even offered to have more competitions in the future, just to see how they'd both fare in things neither had too strong an advantage in.

Rainbow's stay in Ponyville had become quite a lot more enjoyable now that she had three friends she felt comfortable around, even if only one of them knew her secret. And in no time at all, nearly two months had passed since she'd written to her parents about staying longer. The seasons were still changing. Autumn had blown by, and it was getting closer for the time when winter would set in, which was quite exciting for the Pegasus, as she'd only witnessed winter from the ground a few times back when she was a filly.

She'd been contemplating writing another letter to Rigel and Breezie, to say she'd be staying for winter in Ponyville as well, but at the same time, she knew she'd need to go home soon. She couldn't just stay in the town forever, despite how much she was starting to love it. As much as she loved her parents as well, though, Rainbow couldn't deny that she enjoyed the freedom of being on her own. Quite a lot. She knew she was still pretty young to be thinking like that, but then again…Fluttershy and Rarity were both on their own as well (of course, they were also both older than her, by a couple years).

Even with the thoughts, home wasn't what she had on her mind in the current moment, as she was at Sweet Apple Acres again with Applejack, attempting to learn how to use a hula hoop. The apple orchard had been completely harvested earlier in the month, so with that out of the way, Applejack had a lot more free time. And since Rainbow Dash had never played with a hula hoop in her life, her friend had taken some of her time off to try and teach her how.

"It's always been kinda like usin' a lasso to me…only not with a string, and closer to ya," Applejack told her.

She'd been showing and telling Rainbow all the tricks she knew for a couple hours now, and Rainbow had been trying her best to get it right, but it was just another of those things that the earth pony had been doing forever, and Rainbow hadn't done at all until now. Hula hooping as a pony could be quite tricky, Applejack had told her, since it could be hard making sure the hoop didn't touch the ground as it circled around the body so quickly. Every trick Applejack had shown her seemed to be enacted perfectly; she could even jump through the hoop without knocking it over, which to Rainbow, looked like nearly an impossible feat. Rainbow couldn't even get hers to loop around her body.

She whined, "How are you even doing that? Are you sure this isn't some weird magic trick?"

"It ain't no trick, honey," the orange one couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It just takes a heap a' practice. Just make sure to keep your wings tucked as tight as ya can, cuz a slip a' those'll ruin the motion."

Rainbow Dash continued her efforts, but still couldn't get the hoop to loop around her properly: she usually got one or two loops before the pattern broke and the hoop hit the ground, stopping it altogether. It was definitely much harder than it appeared to be. Finally, the Pegasus gave a sigh and let the hoop fall back as she stepped out of it, looking up to the sky. It seemed like she'd only been with Applejack for half an hour, not two full ones; but then again, time did fly when she got wrapped up in something, especially something she was trying to conquer. Late afternoon had arrived already, though, and she knew she'd need to be on her way.

"You givin' up already?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow rolled her eyes with a smile, turning to face the other. "In your apple-pickin' dreams, maybe! …I do gotta get going, though, AJ. Fluttershy wants me to come with her to some party tonight."

"Party?" The earth pony returned the smile now, seeming almost excited to hear. "You don't mean the one Pinkie Pie's throwin' tonight, do ya? I'll be goin' to that one too!"

Blinking once, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened a bit before she averted her gaze with a small, sheepish giggle. She actually had no idea who was throwing the party, or any of the other details, as Fluttershy hadn't mentioned much of them to her. She'd simply asked her to go, and Rainbow had agreed. Having been in Ponyville as long as she had now, she couldn't deny the name Pinkie Pie sounded familiar, but whoever that was, it wasn't somepony she'd met before.

"I actually don't know. Maybe. Fluttershy didn't mention everything," she finally answered.

Applejack gave a short laugh. "Well, alrighty then. I guess I'll see ya there if it's the same one. You hurry on back now; don't wanna keep Fluttershy waitin' on ya."

"Yeah. See ya!"

With a happy flick of her tail, Rainbow took to the air, and headed back to the other side of town where Fluttershy's cottage was. She actually couldn't say she was _that _excited about the party the shy one was dragging her to tonight, but Fluttershy had never asked much of her, other than to make new friends, come out of the house, and now, go to a party. And with everything Fluttershy had done to help her and make her feel comfortable with her stay in Ponyville, she could never bring herself to just _not _go. Fluttershy was much shyer than she was, simply by nature, after all, and she could easily tell that the yellow pony was happy to have someone to go with so she wouldn't be alone. Rainbow wouldn't feel like a good friend at all to bail on her. Even if there would be quite a good number of ponies there.

It didn't take Rainbow too long to get back to the cottage, and once she'd arrived, Fluttershy was already trying to figure out what she needed to do to get ready, if anything at all. The yellow Pegasus was very relieved to see Rainbow had returned. She didn't hesitate to gallop closer with a smile.

"Oh good!" she began. "You're back!"

Rainbow smiled back. "Yeah. So, uh, when are we—"

"I have no idea what to bring!"

The younger pony blinked in surprise, shifting back just a little. Fluttershy was really panicking about this? The party couldn't be anything _too _formal, could it? She sure hoped not. Hesitantly, Rainbow averted her gaze a moment, before looking back in slight confusion.

"We need to bring stuff?" she asked. It seemed weird to need to bring anything to a party, unless she'd been specifically asked to do so, or it was somepony's birthday, which, Rainbow was fairly certain it wasn't. Surely that detail wouldn't have been forgotten.

Fluttershy paused, also looking away. "…I don't know. I just always kinda feel like I should. But Pinkie is hosting it, so…maybe I don't need to. Sugar Cube Corner already has all kinds of sweets for her. Hmm… Maybe you're right."

At the words, the blue pony only raised a brow, but couldn't help stifling an awkward smirk. She hadn't even suggested anything, just asked a question. Fluttershy could be so weird sometimes.. At the name mentioned, though, Rainbow Dash's mind lit up: it was the pony Applejack had mentioned earlier, whom she still hadn't met yet. Well, she'd meet her tonight for sure if this was the party. Rainbow wasn't really too funny about meeting new ponies anymore, now that she'd met quite a few. The old worries still remained in the back of her mind, and would show themselves from time to time, but for the most part, as long as it wasn't a crowd, the blue Pegasus could deal pretty well. In fact, the crowd part was her only worry about the party. She'd fight it for Fluttershy as best she could, though.

"So when's the party again?" she asked.

"Well, it's not starting until a couple hours from now," the other began. "But I was thinking maybe we could go a little early, and get there before the crowd, if you want, I mean."

It still felt a bit strange how Rainbow had once loved crowds, simply because she'd always loved showing off her skills in front of others; but now she avoided them so much that even Fluttershy knew that about her, and never failed to try and help with them. She always wondered now, though, if she'd ever be alright with them again.

She couldn't help but smile. "Sure."

The two ponies ended up leaving for the party about forty minutes early; as it would take a few minutes to get into town where the party would be held, they added a little extra time for the trip. Nevertheless, they didn't want to arrive _too _early, so they decided not to take a full hour. Rainbow Dash had learned over the past couple months that Fluttershy not only walked to town because she thought her friend needed the slower pace, but also simply because she preferred walking over flying. She couldn't say it surprised her, though, as Fluttershy had never been a very strong flier from what she remembered.

As they made their way into the more centered areas of Ponyville, the shy pony did her best to make conversation. She couldn't begin to thank Rainbow enough for agreeing to come to the party with her.

"Thank you so much for coming, Rainbow Dash," she told her with a bright smile. "We don't even have to _do _anything if you don't want to. I actually don't even go to parties that often, unless Rarity wants me to go with her. But whenever I do, I usually just stay back from the crowd and have some punch. Or enjoy the music…you know."

Rainbow couldn't hold back her quiet chuckle. "It's fine, really…"

Well, it was half fine, anyway. The blue one could easily tell that Fluttershy was excited to be bringing her to the party. The reasons were still kind of a mystery to her though. The only thing she could guess was that she was planning to introduce her to another pony, or she was just happy to have somepony else to go with; she didn't ask if her speculations were true, however, as sounding rude wasn't particularly something she aimed for. Especially since she was living with this pony.

She honestly had no idea what to expect, as this was the first time she'd been to a Ponyville party. And while she was nervous about it, she'd come a long way, even if she wasn't entirely prepared to face _everything _yet.

Fluttershy continued. "W-Well, still…if you end up hating it, we don't have to stay for the whole thing. I don't mind coming home early."

"I won't…_hate _it. At least, I hope not. I think I'll be okay. Besides, Applejack said she'd be here tonight, too. And, well, Rarity's coming, right? I'll just hang out with you guys."

The yellow Pegasus' whole face seemed to light up at the suggestion. She paused from her walking for just a few seconds, almost as if she needed them to take in how well her friend was dealing with her first ever Ponyville party, even if some of it _was _just talk. She didn't actually know for sure if Rarity would be there, but even if not, Rainbow would have her and Applejack.

"Of course!" she giggled. "We'll definitely stay with you!"

It really did help Rainbow to hear that she wouldn't be alone. She couldn't deny that if it wasn't for all of Fluttershy's help, or for the other two new friends she'd made, she probably wouldn't even be willing to step outside. The experiences with seeing that nopony could read her lesbian mind just by looking at her had helped her too, but not nearly as much as having a friend she could talk to about the issues. She and Fluttershy had stayed up late quite a few nights now, just discussing whatever things Rainbow had on her mind, and becoming even closer in the process. Technically, the shy pony had become her closest friend, even if they held a good number of differences; the other two were also close to her, but only Fluttershy knew all her biggest secrets. Eventually Rainbow would tell them…maybe. But for now, she was perfectly content with only one pony knowing.

When Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made it into Ponyville, Fluttershy led the way right past Sugar Cube Corner, and on down the road, which confused Rainbow a bit. She was sure she'd heard Fluttershy mention the place before they'd left, as well as bring up the fact that the one hosting the party pretty much lived there. She'd kept silent with most questions, as she'd decided to just wait and see everything for herself, but this time, she couldn't help but speak up.

She asked, "Doesn't she live at Sugar Cube Corner?"

Fluttershy glanced back at her as they walked on, blinking before she answered with a smile.

"Oh yes," she told her. "But Pinkie Pie is hosting the party at the old furniture shop that closed down a while back, to make more room for all the guests."

"…Is that even legal?"

Suddenly, the shy one came to a halt, a troubled expression taking over her face for a moment. She'd never even considered if it was alright to host a party there. Rainbow raised a brow, waiting for her to respond. Once the moment had passed, Fluttershy lifted her gaze upward in thought, and finally, looked back to the other.

She said, "Well…no one else has claimed it yet, so…I…guess so."

The two only stared at one another for a second or two before Rainbow closed her eyes with a nonchalant shrug, and they carried on their way.

It didn't take much longer at all for them to reach the place where the party was being held. When they finally had, the ponies hesitantly approached the old store, and found that they'd certainly arrived early enough. Only a few of the guests had arrived, from the looks of things. Then again, they hadn't gone inside just yet. Rainbow Dash felt a tinge of old worries returning to her, but she fought them back; it was a party, she told herself, and the ponies would be far more interested in that aspect of it, than paying attention to a random, rainbow-maned mare hanging by herself.

Still, they had arrived. There was definitely no turning back now. As soon as they walked through that door, Rainbow Dash would be at the first party she'd ever been to in Ponyville. Obviously, a party was a party: she'd attended a few parties back in Cloudsdale, so she didn't suspect this one would be _too _much different. She wouldn't know for sure, though, until it started. The two ponies paused briefly. And finally, headed inside.

* * *

><p><strong>I know it hasn't yet been a full week, but I decided to post this chapter earlier than usual, because I have some baaad news. Well, it's not traumatic or anything (hopefully), but nevertheless, it's not good: I won't be posting as quickly as usual anymore from here on out. I have no idea how sporadic my updates are going to become, or how slow, but due to my classes, I don't have as much time to write as I did before. I'm very sorry, but I hope you can all hold out for me! I'll try not to take longer than a month between updates, but...no promises. <strong>

**Just as a note, yes, I do think Dash is the youngest of the mane six. Also, yes, I'm aware the whole apple tree scene is used a ton for Dash & AJ meeting, but I actually am a big lover of fandom traditions like that, so I'm not gonna break it. (: Don't know if y'all liked the way I did AJ's speech; I decided to keep the typing mostly normal for the most part. I am actually a Southern girl from Georgia, myself, though, so I can't have done TOO bad, considering my accent is pretty similar to hers. **

**Anyhow... thanks so much again to all of you guys who give me feedback! I can't wait to see how many reviews I end up with when I finish! **

**The pictures of Rigel and Breezie are still up on my profile, as is the poll. **Oh, and as you can see, I finally got around to naming all my chapters. I didn't go back and edit the documents, though...much too lazy for all that. Hah. ** **

**Like always, reviews & favs are very appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned, darlings!**


	9. The Party

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 9 <strong>

* * *

><p>When Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash entered the building, everything was already perfectly set up for the party. Considering the old store had once been barren and dusty from lack of use over the years, it was quite a surprise to Fluttershy to see it all cleaned up and decorated with the party supplies Pinkie Pie had gotten for the occasion. Rainbow Dash, though, who had never seen it before now, only witnessed the nice decoration for what it was, not nearly as surprised as the shy one was at the difference.<p>

Countless colorful balloons, streamers, and other things now littered the ground, walls, and even the ceiling of the place. The lights were still on, as the party hadn't started yet, and a large disco ball hung from the center of the ceiling, riddling the entire empty building with shining flecks of light. A few tables had been set up with punch and snacks; there seemed to be more than enough to go around, even without all the guests being at the party yet. So far, only a handful of ponies had arrived, who all either stood outside waiting, or stood inside in small groups of two or three, talking quietly amongst themselves. Rainbow only continued to relax herself, which was going fairly well so far. But then again, not everypony was here just yet, not even Applejack or Rarity, and the realization quickly had Rainbow hoping they'd arrive soon.

"Wow…she really outdid herself with all this," the shy one spoke after a moment as they walked through to the other side of the big room. "I can barely even tell this is the same place."

"Yeah," Rainbow answered her, still looking around in curiosity, as she didn't have the first idea what the store originally had looked like.

The sky blue mare had just begun to wonder when she would meet the pony responsible for all this, given that both Fluttershy and Applejack had mentioned her earlier, and well, she _was _the host of the party. But almost as soon as the question passed through her mind again, her glance was caught by the huge speaker system at the very back of the room, and the two ponies who stood beside it, obviously working on getting it set up. As if on cue, Fluttershy spoke again, leading her to the area.

She said, "C'mon, Rainbow, I'll introduce you to Pinkie. I'm actually pretty surprised you don't already know her. But since you stayed inside so much until lately, I guess it makes sense. I know she'll be glad to meet you, though!"

Rainbow didn't answer Fluttershy this time, but gave a nod and continued alongside her. It'd been a while since she'd personally met another pony in attempts to make friends, so she was again feeling like meeting another was something she didn't necessarily _need _to do, despite Pinkie Pie being the host. She was curious, but at the same time, she still hadn't completely gotten over herself. At this point, it was just annoying, though, that the worry still hung over her from time to time.

As they neared the two setting up the speaker system and what looked to be a DJ stand, it quickly became clear that the two were an earth pony and a unicorn. Rainbow Dash assumed that the earth pony was Pinkie Pie, due to the pink coat that matched the name, but she had no clue at all what to think of the white unicorn next to her. Her mane looked a bit unkempt, though, and consisted of two hues of blue; she wore a pair of big, purple shades, despite the fact that she surely didn't need them inside.

"Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy called as they made it to the area, and sure enough, the bubblegum-pink earth pony turned to face them, first with a look of surprise, before quickly bouncing around to give a joyful smile. The unicorn only grinned a hello.

"Fluttershy! I'm so glad you could make it! You _really _need to start coming to more of my parties, ya know!" Pinkie paused after the words as her blue eyes finally rested on Rainbow Dash, and for a short moment, she looked to be in complete amazement. Suddenly, though, she leapt closer with a gasp, obviously much more excited. " YOU! …I've never seen you before! You must be a _new_ Pegasus! Or, omigosh! Are you _related _to Fluttershy? Did she invite her whole family! How great! You don't really look like her, though…hm. Step sister? Cousin? Oh I know! Second step cousin!"

Rainbow instantly jumped back at the spastic greeting, as this pony was even louder and talked even faster that Rarity had when they'd first met. Why did ponies have to do that? Why couldn't they all just be like Applejack? She really didn't even know how to answer her. She wasn't related to Fluttershy, that was for sure; was Pinkie seriously even asking that? A bit fearfully, the blue one looked around a moment, her cheeks reddening a little as she scraped her mind for something to say, but luckily, Fluttershy took a small step forward and spoke for her.

She said, "U-Um…actually, we aren't related. Pinkie, this is Rainbow Dash. She's a friend of mine from when I was in flight camp a long time ago."

The curly-headed pony was rocking forward with a smile, lessening the space between herself and Rainbow, but stopped shortly at Fluttershy's answer, looking back to her with a surprised blink. She let herself spring back into place before beginning a small chain of giggles.

"Oh!" she continued the giggling for another few seconds, and came to an abrupt stop. She then looked back to Rainbow, who was now a weird mixture of scared and annoyed. "Well that's _just _as super special awesome! It's great to meet you, Rainbow Dash! I really hope you have a wonderful time at the party tonight! There's gonna be so many fun things, too! Including some _wicked _original party music mixed by Scratchie over here!"

"You sure you want me playing original stuff, Pinkie?"

All three of the other ponies now looked to the blue-maned unicorn who'd asked the question. While she'd been grinning earlier, she looked a little more nervous now, though it was hard to tell exactly due to the shades she had on. Pinkie, however, seemed to completely understand the question, as well as the nervousness behind it; she hopped up to rest her forelegs on the turntable stand, giving the other female a bright smile.

She answered, "Course I do, babe! I told you, any party I throw, I want your music there!"

Of course, that was if she was free to provide it. Vinyl Scratch's nervous look again turned into the grin she'd had moments before at the words, a silent thank you to the pony who'd now been her best friend for a few years. Until Scratch was able to start a club of her own in Ponyville, something she'd dreamt of since she'd first moved to the town, Pinkie had been allowing her to DJ at her parties, and even started hosting them at bigger places sometimes to draw a larger crowd for the unicorn. It was more than enough to help her, and Scratch couldn't be more grateful for such an amazing best friend.

Once Pinkie Pie finished her assuring response, she let herself fall back down from the stand Scratch would soon be DJing with, and turned back to face the others with a giddy smile.

"Anyway, guys, more guests will be arriving really soon! Help yourselves to anything you want! When the lights go out, it's time to PARTY!" the pony gave her new Pegasus acquaintance a friendly wink before excusing herself from the conversation and getting back to helping Scratch with the last minute music and lights touches.

Rainbow Dash made a bit of a face, not really as annoyed with Pinkie as with the simple fact of how loud and excited some ponies were with meeting new ponies. Applejack really had been the only one of them who'd helped her feel _safer _about the new friendship rather than even more trapped into it than she already felt. At least she wasn't immediately tempted to run away into hiding whenever she met somepony new anymore. Of course, even _before _all this lesbian stuff had happened, she'd always preferred other ponies to shut up, sit back, and let _her _be the loud one. The thought alone almost made her want to try it again.

As Pinkie left the scene, Fluttershy quietly broke the silence again, along with Rainbow's thoughts. "That was a little weird... Well, I'm glad she didn't jump you like she did to me...you might not have liked that very much…"

The blue one looked back to the other with a weird face; there was even _more _craziness than that? Why Fluttershy always wanted to introduce her to ponies that would go spastic over her, Rainbow had no idea.

"Oh, she's just busy with getting the place set up, I'm sure."

The two Pegasi quickly turned around in surprise at the voice to see Rarity standing only a few feet behind them. Brow raised with a smile, the lovely unicorn gave a small "hm" in greeting. Fluttershy hesitated, but quickly her look of surprise became a joyful beam at seeing the other pony closest to her, and she leapt closer to exchange a friendly nuzzle.

"Rarity!" she giggled happily. "You're here!"

Rarity stifled a small laugh of her own. "Well, of course, darling! I _had _to see what Pinkie Pie would do with this old place, and I must say, the décor is _lovely! _Besides, the more friends to celebrate with, the better!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile at seeing another familiar face, finally, as well as feel a lot more relieved by it. She still wondered where Applejack was, but she knew the orange earth pony would arrive soon enough, so she didn't worry about it too much. It was also nice seeing how close Fluttershy and Rarity were yet again; it'd been a while since Rainbow had had another friend like that. She was more than happy that Fluttershy was just as close to her as well, though (so she liked to believe). Nevertheless, her brows furrowed in slight confusion at the unicorn's words.

"What are we celebrating?" she asked.

Rarity blinked. "You didn't know? Well, you are still new, my apologies, dear. Tomorrow is _finally _when we'll start to bring winter in again! I've been _so _excited! My favorite scarf has been waiting so long to be worn again!"

With the happy thought running through her mind, the white one closed her eyes and gracefully did an odd little three-second slow-dance to herself. Simply due to the fashion and hot chocolate, winter was one of her favorites.

"It is?" Fluttershy chimed in happily. "Oh wow, I completely forgot! You're right!"

"Mm-hmmmmmm. Wait. That _is _why Pinkie is hosting the party tonight…isn't it?"

Rarity had just assumed as much due to the first day of winter finally being tomorrow, but she had never found out if her assumption was really correct or not. She stopped her happy motion, looking to the other two ponies for an answer. Fluttershy and Rainbow only looked back at her blankly, as they didn't know the reason behind Pinkie's party either. Rainbow was the first of them to smile again after the few seconds of silence; she didn't care _what _the party was for, but she was excited to know the season she'd been waiting for was finally coming tomorrow. Which meant she could get back to Cloudsdale sooner than she thought.

She said, "Well, I dunno, but that's still great!"

"Yes, it is." Fluttershy gave a happy nod.

Rarity only frowned, a little more annoyed that neither of them knew anything. She gave a sigh, letting her head lower slightly, but quickly lifted it up with a smile. She'd just have to find out herself.

While Rainbow Dash was glad to know she'd be seeing a Ponyville winter sooner than she'd assumed, and therefore, would be able to get home sooner as well, at the same time, she didn't really like the thought of leaving. Cloudsdale was great, but she enjoyed being on the earth and witnessing all of its changes. She also enjoyed the new friends she'd made, and being able to live on her own (well, almost on her own). Rainbow could do pretty much anything she wanted here in Ponyville, and while it'd been hard at first, she was loving it even more with the passing time. Still, she did miss her parents. And she knew they missed her. She'd just have to start visiting Ponyville a lot more in the future.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before the party was filled with all kinds of ponies, ready to enjoy what Pinkie Pie did best. Applejack also showed up along with the crowd. Once the three of her new closest friends had arrived, even Rainbow was feeling more excited, despite the large crowd that now filled every inch of the shiny tiled floor. The four ponies just stayed together talking for a little while, which was good for all of them: Fluttershy and Rarity had actually never been too close to Applejack. They knew who she was, of course, and they'd spoken to her here and there given that she provided the apples for the town, but as far as "hanging out" went, it simply wasn't something they'd done a lot of with Applejack. They were even closer to Pinkie Pie than her. Of course, pretty much everypony was close to Pinkie in some way or the other.<p>

When the big lights went out, making room for the multi-colored party lights Pinkie had provided, as well as the disco ball, a wave of excitement could be heard from the sheer number of ponies who were ready to party. Vinyl Scratch started up her music which consisted of a mixture of songs she'd done on her own, and songs from other artists that a lot of guests would be more familiar with. It was officially time for the party to begin.

The huge room was like a whole different place in the dark, flashing lights and specks from the disco ball coating it from ceiling to floor. The first track played wasn't one that was familiar to most of the ponies, but still had a good club beat to it, so none of them really cared what it was anyway, as long as they could dance to it. Rainbow Dash was mesmerized by the visual effects that had been provided, simply because she'd never been to a party like this before. But quickly, she broke out her trance, and made sure her friends were still around, which they were. She was surprised to see that Fluttershy was no longer standing, though, and instead was sitting down in one of the nearby corners, almost looking a bit uncomfortable. Rarity stood beside her.

"I wonder what's eatin' her," Applejack commented after a moment. She glanced back to Rainbow, and smiled a little, beginning to take a short walk to the corner. "C'mon, let's see."

Rainbow Dash nodded and followed the orange one to where Fluttershy and Rarity were. It was a small bit of an effort to maneuver through the party crowd, but the corner wasn't too far away, so it didn't take them too long.

Applejack asked, "Somethin' wrong, sugar cube?"

"Yeah, what is it?" the polychromatic one added concernedly.

Fluttershy looked to Rarity for a moment, who also shared the slight concern, and then brought her gaze back to the other two. She forced a small, nervous smile before she tried to say what was on her mind, but her tiny voice was no match for the loud store-turned-nightclub.

"I-I just didn't expect it to be so loud," she told them.

"WHAT?" asked Applejack, having not heard the shy one's voice well at all.

Rarity tried for her this time, louder. "She says it's too loud!"

"OH!" Quickly, Applejack's expression softened, though she didn't know what to tell Fluttershy. She hesitantly spoke again. "Aw…well, it _is _a mite different from Pinkie Pie's usual parties. Here, why don't I go get y'all some punch, and we'll just stay 'round here for now. We don't gotta go out there with all them other ponies if y'all don't wanna."

At the nice suggestion, Fluttershy only smiled again with a small nod of the head. She'd been to a few other Pinkie Pie parties in the past, but none of them had been this loud and dark. Then again, the others had all been held in the daytime, and Vinyl Scratch hadn't been helping out. Rainbow Dash didn't really notice the difference as she'd never been to a daytime Pinkie party, or a nightclub. Still, she wasn't expecting Fluttershy to be the one who was cowering in the corner. Perhaps she was underestimating how far she'd come since first arriving in Ponyville.

Applejack told the others she'd be back soon, and took her leave for the drink stand to get some punch. Of course, who knew how long it'd take having to maneuver through the huge party crowd. Rainbow Dash looked back as the orange one was leaving, and then again to Fluttershy and Rarity. She didn't like seeing Fluttershy unhappy at the party she'd been excited over earlier, but at the same time, she didn't know what to say to either of them. Finally, she looked over her shoulder again for a quick moment, and spoke.

"Um…I'm gonna go with AJ and help with the drinks. I'll be back," she said loudly.

Rarity nodded once, and with that, Rainbow turned to the crowd and went after Applejack. She tried her best to maneuver through the ponies, but felt her nervousness creeping up on her again whenever she ended up bumping into one. Even though she'd only waited a few seconds to go after her, Applejack was nowhere in sight. It was then that Rainbow realized going after her was probably a bad idea. A really bad idea. But it wasn't like she could do anything about it now. Whimpering, the Pegasus hurriedly ran through all the small spaces she could find; it didn't even cross her mind that she could simply use her wings and fly above everyone.

As she was making her way through, the song that was playing stopped, and a new one started, causing even more of an uproar. Rainbow Dash growled, and attempted to up her speed.

_Everytime you look at me  
>My heart is jumpin', it's easy to see<br>You drive me crazy  
>I just can't sleep<br>I'm so excited, I'm in too deep  
>Oh-oh-oh, crazy<br>But it feels alright  
>Baby thinkin' of you keeps me up all night<em>

Obviously, many of the ponies knew the song, as a lot of them were singing it, or simply overly happy to dance to it. Hell, it even sounded familiar to Rainbow, but she didn't know any of the words. Probably just because she'd never listened to pop or dance music all that much. She stopped a moment just to take a short breath, but immediately after, somepony again bumped into her, causing her to jump with a small squeak, and hurriedly get to her hooves again. She went faster after that, and eventually the ponies she maneuvered through became a little less crowded, which was fine with her. And finally, she made it back to the sidelines of the room again, and dropped into a sitting position, exhausted.

When she looked around her to see where she was, she hadn't the slightest idea. Fluttershy and Rarity were nowhere to be seen, and she didn't see a drink stand anywhere nearby either. The song was still playing. She really didn't want to go back into the crowd again, and gave a small groan at the thought. Maybe she could just walk around the sidelines, near the walls of the room, and eventually meet back up with the two she should've just stayed with in the beginning. With the new idea, Rainbow got to her hooves again, and looked around. It was only one big room, so it had to lead her back somehow. She was about to start, but suddenly, an excited voice caught her attention.

"Heya Dashie!"

_Dashie? What? _She flinched a little, but quickly turned to the voice, only to see Pinkie Pie. Her immediate thoughts were why she was giving her nicknames when they barely knew one another, but the question left her at seeing the pink pony's expression. Brow raised, suggestive smile, Pinkie's look was much unexpected, and Rainbow had no idea how to respond. So Pinkie continued, in her best sexy voice.

"You wanna _dance?"_

_WHAT. _Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at the question; she immediately started backing away, folding her ears back as she felt her cheeks growing warmer. Was she…hitting on her? She looked around for an escape, her heartbeat speeding up and her ability to speak locking itself. Nopony had ever seriously tried hitting on her before. She was almost ready to run back into the crowd rather than deal with this, and she thought about it, but suddenly, Pinkie broke out into laughter, nearly falling down with them as a giggly snort escaped her.

She said, "Aw, I'm just kidding! We don't really have to dance, silly! I just saw you over here _all alone,_ and I couldn't _help_ but come over to see if everything was okay! Why aren't you with cousin Fluttershy?"

Frozen with shock at the response, Rainbow finally released a heavy sigh of relief once she'd processed the information completely, and almost felt a little dizzy. She fell back down into sitting, and kept her head lowered in exhaustion. For a moment, she couldn't even think. But hesitantly, she lifted her head to send an annoyed glare to the other. She'd thought she'd already witnessed the most frightening moment of her life, but nope! Who the _hell _did Pinkie even think she was joking around like that? The Pegasus finally shut her eyes, trying to calm herself again, but remained annoyed as she answered the question, and made sure her voiced reflected it.

"She's _not _my cousin," she told her bluntly.

"…Oh yeah!" Pinkie giggled again, and happily continued, seeming completely unfazed by Rainbow's clear annoyance. "Well, still, shouldn't you be with her? You _do _know she's waaaaay over there, right?"

Pinkie pointed a hoof in the direction which would supposedly lead back to Fluttershy and Rarity as she gave an accomplished smile. Rainbow only stared back at her as if she were insane. How the hell could she know exactly where they were? She _couldn't _know exactly where they were, as far as Rainbow Dash was willing to believe. The blue one only sighed again, rolling her magenta eyes and standing up. Maybe she couldn't find her way back to those two just yet, but it _was _Pinkie's party, so she had to know the way around to the things she'd set up herself. Setting aside her anger, Rainbow decided to give the pony another chance.

Rainbow answered, "Actually, I'm kinda looking for the drink stand. Do you know where that is?"

Blinking once in surprise, Pinkie's expression instantly changed into a grin, which Rainbow interpreted as a yes. She was correct.

"Sure I know! C'mon, I'll show ya the way!"

Being dragged across the party by the crazy, pink host wasn't exactly what Rainbow Dash had in mind for being shown where the drink stand was, but it was better than _not _being shown where the drink stand was, so she decided to deal with it for now. She was actually starting to worry that perhaps Pinkie didn't even know herself, but when the drink stand and Applejack came into view, she was overjoyed that she'd let Pinkie do this.

"And here we are!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Ooh! And look, there's Applejack!"

Why or how the orange one was still there even after it'd taken _her_ so long to arrive, Rainbow hadn't the slightest idea. She felt as if she'd been lost and pushing through crowds of ponies for hours rather than minutes. It didn't matter, though: she'd finally caught up with her again, and officially wasn't lost anymore. Happy and relieved, the Pegasus gave a sigh and rushed over to her friend.

She greeted, "AJ!"

Applejack turned to see her and gave a surprised smile.

"Well hey Rainbow Dash," she answered. "I coulda sworn you stayed behind with Fluttershy and Rarity. Guess my mind's goin' crazy from all a' this racket."

Rainbow grinned, but hesitantly looked back behind her as her grin became a grateful smile. Even if the Pinkie _had _annoyed her earlier, she wouldn't have found Applejack again without the help. Hell, she might've been stuck alone for the whole rest of the night. Looking back, she gave a small, nervous chuckle.

"I went after you, but I kinda got lost. Pinkie helped," she told her.

Applejack gave a laugh, "I see. Well that's mighty kindly of her. Anyway, c'mon, then, help me get these drinks back to our spot."

The earth pony took two of the small cups between her teeth and turned to head back from whence she'd come, though she stopped and waited for Rainbow before she took off. With a happy flick of her tail, Rainbow took the other two cups; she was more than happy to finally have found her way again, and turned to thank Pinkie before she went along with Applejack, but…Pinkie was nowhere in sight. Eyes blinking wide in surprise, Rainbow looked around, but she really couldn't see the pony anywhere. When Applejack finally called her to come on, she hesitated in confusion for a second longer, but finally turned back to hurry along with the drinks.

When Applejack and Rainbow made it back to Fluttershy and Rarity with the drinks, the four of them decided to go stand outside for a while to clear their heads. When they made it out there, they found that a good bit of the other ponies had gotten the same idea. There were still multitudes of them inside the club, but not everyone was enjoying this party style Pinkie and Vinyl Scratch had used for tonight. Rainbow didn't really care either way, but she definitely preferred the coolness of being out in the last autumn night they'd see for a while, rather than the smothering heat of all the ponies going crazy on the dance floor.

"This is a lot better," Fluttershy giggled a little as she took a sip of her punch. "Though I hope Pinkie won't be too upset that we're out here now."

"I'm sure she won't mind, sugar cube," Applejack answered with a smile.

Pinkie Pie knew Fluttershy well enough to understand her preference of more quiet places, they all assumed. And also knew that they couldn't just ditch Fluttershy. The four of them had been glad for the chance to spend some more time together, as all of them shared the common wish to help their newest friend feel welcome among them (save Rainbow, as she _was _the newest friend). So more than anything, they'd just wanted to have a fun night out, regardless of what exactly they did.

Despite getting lost and again falling into a situation that brought back her fears, Rainbow Dash was having a good time. She loved spending time with the three she'd befriended, and well, Pinkie Pie wasn't so bad, she supposed. She _had _helped her out, and Rainbow didn't even want to think of how the night might've gone if she hadn't shown up and taken her to the drink stand. Still, she remained confused as to how or why the pink pony had randomly disappeared without even saying goodbye. She thought about asking somepony else about it, but decided to just forget it: it couldn't really be _that _important.

As the night continued on, and more guests left, the ponies decided to go back to the party for a little while again; they didn't want to just be rude, after all. It was getting pretty late already, though, so they didn't stay too much longer before leaving for the night. The place was still pretty crowded by even that time, so they didn't even attempt to find Pinkie again. She was busy with other things anyway, and while they did know her pretty well, it wasn't as if they hung out with her on a regular basis. They'd just thank her for inviting them another time.

Rainbow contemplated starting another letter for her parents once she and Fluttershy had gotten home, but decided if tomorrow really would be the first day of Ponyville's winter, maybe she didn't need to after all. She'd be heading home soon after the season's start anyway.

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><p><strong>SURPRISE. I found time to write after all! Haha. :D Though I'm sorry this chapter is only one big scene. That's the only thing I don't like about it. But it ended up being 5,000 words in itself, and I decided to just go ahead and end it with the end of the party. <strong>

**LYRICS: "(You Drive Me) Crazy" by Britney Spears. Don't...assume I had hidden meanings with using those, though; I used them simply because I was listening to the song while creating this chapter, AND because Britney is one of my personal heroes. I love her, she's amazing, Ponies are amazing, why not put em together, ya know? **

**And yeah, it's great to have Scratch in the story, too, and to finally be doing stuff with her weird relationship with Pinkie, which I also touched on in "I Like It When You Scare Me." For those of you who've read that, I hope you liked this too. And I hope you liked my portrayals of Scratch, as well as Pinkie. ****At this point, the story is really nearing its end, and I'm sure a lot of you have figured out what's going to happen in the next couple chapters (I know it's incredibly predictable, but don't...say anything about it in reviews until it happens, please, just in case some people haven't guessed it yet. which is doubtful, but whatever).**

**I have no idea how many of you guys have Twitter, or even like me enough to follow me there, but... I made one. Username: ambertreelights. And the link is on my profile, as my homepage. I'll just be doing random announcements for different stories, as well as tweeting lots of random shit...whenever. lol. SO...if you want, you can follow me. I'll definitely follow back if you do so, and tell me you're a reader. (: Just so ya know.**

**As usual, all the stuff I've put on my profile is still up. And thanks so much to every one of you, even if you don't review (though I won't lie, you guys who DO review, y'all are the best! hehe).**

**Reviews & favs are appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned!**


	10. A Little Faith

_"Of Females and Feathers"  
><em>**Chapter 10**

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><p>Rainbow Dash had never woken up to see the shy pony who was now her closest friend sitting a few feet away from her before, staring in anticipation as she waited for the other to awake. So, naturally, Rainbow Dash had never assumed she <em>would <em>ever wake up to this. Never even thought about it, really. But today, was just one of those days, in which random, un-thought-of occurrences, would indeed, occur.

As she slowly drifted to consciousness, perhaps from the small, barely-present inkling that such a thing was needed, or perhaps from only the mere internal workings that everypony naturally witnessed from day to day, Rainbow released a sleepy sigh, and blinked her eyes a bit to take in her morning surroundings once again. She felt quite well-rested, which was good, and a bit surprising given Pinkie Pie's party being only one night in the past. Still, she certainly couldn't complain about that. Especially since today, was also just one of those days, in which she felt quite optimistic. She didn't know why, but nevertheless, it was a nice feeling. One she could definitely accept.

The Pegasus' view finally became focused once she finished her first yawn of the morning, but the sight of Fluttershy's wide, blue-green stare across the room, was what finally spooked her into a complete state of awareness. With a surprised jump, Rainbow barely caught herself from falling off the other side of the bed.

"AH!"

Fluttershy instantly jumped to her hooves, though more worried than frightened; she certainly hadn't meant to cause that!

"Oh dear," she peeped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you!"

It took a few seconds for Rainbow Dash to realize nothing _too _surprising had actually happened, and hesitantly, she relaxed again, sitting up now as she released a huffed sigh. Eyes closed, she couldn't help but find herself just a little annoyed. More than anypony else, Fluttershy had so far succeeded at being the one to surprise her the most. She knew the pony hadn't meant to do so at all, but…seriously? Still, she quickly got over it, and used a hoof to rub her eyes a little as she completely awoke.

She grunted an understanding. "It's fine… What's up?"

"Well…you know…today's the day we bring winter in."

Rainbow suddenly paused from rubbing her eyes. She'd completely forgotten. But now she that she was reminded… Bringing the hoof down again, she gave her friend a weird look.

"…Have you just been sitting here all morning?" she asked.

The shy one's eyes widened as a small, embarrassed blush coated her cheeks, and quickly, she looked away. Yep. She'd been much too nervous to actually try and wake Rainbow Dash, but sitting and waiting for her to wake up herself was another story. Allowing a tiny smile to creep upon her lips, Fluttershy looked Rainbow's way again and attempted to explain herself. Though she didn't need to.

She began, "Well…kind of…"

But Rainbow only raised a hoof to silence her, shaking her head affectionately. Fluttershy could be so weird sometimes, but it was only another aspect about her that the Pegasus had grown to love, even when it never failed to stump her. She couldn't hide her humored smile.

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><p>Once Rainbow Dash had gotten out of bed, she and Fluttershy did their best to hurry up and get to town before any major winter-bringing tasks had been done. They were already a little bit late as it was, but as neither of them planned on helping with anything much, the lateness wouldn't be too much of an issue. Fluttershy had explained to Rainbow as they were getting ready to leave that the only major thing she usually did was say goodnight to all her little animal friends before they went on to sleep for the long, winter hibernation. It wasn't until springtime when she actually had the legit task of waking them all up again, which required a bit more of an effort, even if it wasn't exactly hard to do either way.<p>

Though bringing in winter was just as essential as wrapping it up, the latter usually required a lot more ponies helping out on the single day that was the first of spring. All the harvesting was already done by the end of autumn, and had been taken care of throughout the autumn season, so the only thing left of that was making sure that all the crops had indeed been cleared before the snow came to bury the ground. Once that had been seen to, and all the animals had begun hibernation, it was really only the Pegasi's job to bring in all the winter clouds that had been prepared by the weather factory over the past seasons. The creation of snow clouds was a very long process, as all the snowflakes were hoofmade; of course, Rainbow Dash was certainly one who knew that better than anyone, having a father who worked in the factory. But not only did the snowflakes have to be handled with utmost care, the clouds themselves had to be sufficient enough to hold the flakes until they were brought out into the cool wind of the atmosphere, which triggered the snowfalls everypony was so well accustomed to for the winter season. Not every cloud was perfect, but even the ones that weren't could easily be triggered by Pegasus ponies who lived on the earth below.

It was a process that excited Rainbow quite a bit: she'd seen snowfalls from earth a few times in her life, but both of those times had been years ago, back when she was a small filly. Of course, there were snowfalls in Cloudsdale as well, which were lovely to see in themselves, as it was also exciting to look down from the city as the flakes fell to earth, but it still wasn't the same as having the ground entirely blanketed with the lovely crystals that together formed what earth-dwelling ponies knew as snow. Rainbow loved Cloudsdale, and she always had; but this would be the first earth winter she'd seen in a while, and she couldn't deny that she was much more excited about it than about the winter that would be going on at home.

_No offense, Dad…_

She couldn't help but think to herself. She knew both her parents would be happy to hear about her earth adventures once she got back within the next week, and she'd certainly come a long way, even if she wasn't ready to tell them she was a lesbian yet. But she had her hopes up that they'd notice the changes in her, nonetheless, and wouldn't question things anymore. That'd be nice. Really nice. Thinking about them again, she could only smile.

When she and Fluttershy finally made it into town, the first thing that really caught their attention was the team of Pegasi standing all around one another, waiting for their task of retrieving the winter clouds to begin. Truthfully, the Pegasi of Ponyville were the main ponies who had a major task for bringing in winter. There were a few other things that needed to be done, but none as crucial as making sure that there were enough clouds to start the first snowfall of the season. Once the sky was filled, it would chill the air down and more clouds could be released as the season went on, though not nearly as many as would be brought in for winter's official start. The mere need for so many snow clouds at the start of winter was the main reason the weather factory in Cloudsdale had to work so hard through the rest of the year for this one day.

"Whoa…" Rainbow Dash immediately smiled in amazement at all the Pegasi who were willing to do such a task. "_All_ of them are bringing clouds in?"

Fluttershy giggled as they stopped to take a quick look. "Yes. There are usually more, though, I think. This is our weather team. They're all waiting for the mayor to officially call the start. She shouldn't be too much longer."

So despite how many there seemed to be, all of them were specifically designated for the task. It was definitely amazing in Rainbow's opinion, and though she was excited about joining Fluttershy to say goodnight to all the critters, she found herself wanting to watch the weather team in action as well, at least for a while. However, she was still pretty glad to only be doing the watching.

She asked, "So are we gonna watch em?"

"Sure, if you want," Fluttershy answered with a smile. She was more than happy to let Rainbow Dash enjoy herself with things she'd like to do, rather than make her feel obligated to come spend time with little animals. "I'll try to be back from my animals so I can watch with you, so if you wanna just stay here, that's fine too."

With a surprised blink, Rainbow Dash quickly turned to face the other. She wanted to watch the weather team, but she didn't want to ditch Fluttershy for it, especially since it wouldn't be nearly as fun without her closest Ponyville friend there.

"No way. I wanna see the animals too. They'll be bringing in clouds for a while anyway, won't they?" she asked.

Fluttershy shared the surprise for a short moment, but only stifled another happy giggle, unable to stop her smile from growing again; she wasn't completely sure if Rainbow would enjoy bidding the animals farewell for the winter, but she still should've known her friend wasn't going to choose something else over helping her with it.

She answered gratefully, "Yes. Bringing in the clouds usually lasts for most of the day."

"Sweet," Rainbow smiled back. "Let's go ahead and go, then!"

With their plan for the day settled, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went on past the center of town and headed to the dens of the critters Fluttershy was to bid farewell to until spring returned. It wasn't much further at all from town, which made for quite a short trip, but that was good considering Rainbow did want to get back and watch the Pegasi for a while, even if she'd probably miss the takeoff. Not that she minded _that _much, or anything, but still.

Rainbow Dash was both a little surprised, and tickled to see how shyly spastic her roommate became once they'd arrived, and all the animals nearby scurried over to see her. It was easy to tell this had been going on for years, but even so, Fluttershy never grew tired of it. She lay down, and ushered Rainbow to do the same, since being closer to the animals' levels helped them feel more relaxed and open (so she said). And while Rainbow was a bit hesitant, she did go ahead and follow her friend's suggestion.

Once they were both lying down, Fluttershy introduced her to the animals, and all them to her. Rainbow couldn't deny it was interesting literally meeting animals, but, also a little awkward. She supposed that was just because she couldn't talk to them the same way Fluttershy could, though. As the introductions continued, Rainbow found her mind wandering a little, but only to Fluttershy's cutie mark. She and Fluttershy had always been so wrapped up in discussing other things that they'd never actually had a cutie mark discussion. With how much Fluttershy did with the animals, though, Rainbow couldn't help but assume the butterflies on her flank had _something _to do with that.

The animals had been a little cautious of Rainbow Dash at first, but they quickly warmed up to her, though only a few of them approached her the same way they did Fluttershy. Of course, Rainbow didn't really mind. After a few more minutes, Fluttershy told them all goodnight for the winter, and to go ahead and get ready for sleep. They'd already gathered and eaten all the food they'd need, so Fluttershy didn't need to help with that. And finally, after she and Rainbow had bid them farewell for hibernation, they began their way back to town where the weather team would be bringing in clouds.

"They sure do like you a lot," Rainbow Dash observed with a grin as they headed back. "I'm surprised they haven't all just moved to your cottage."

Fluttershy giggled, a small, knowing blush coming to her cheeks. "Yeah…they've been some of my best friends here in Ponyville for a long time. They were my only friends at first. I know that sounds kinda silly, but…well…it was a while before I was brave enough to meet new ponies too."

Rainbow only smiled at the shy one who kept her gaze downward in slight embarrassment. She knew Fluttershy so well now that she understood completely, and didn't find it weird at all. It was great to know that she wasn't the only one who'd had troubles starting out, though, even if those troubles weren't exactly caused by the same thing. As for Fluttershy, she'd always known that eventually, Rainbow would succeed in conquering her worries, not only because she knew the inner strength Rainbow had, but because she'd also succeeded in conquering hers. And if she could do it, she knew the brave pony she remembered from flight camp could do it as well. Even if it took a while.

Shortly the two ponies reached Ponyville again. As they'd expected, the Pegasi on the weather team had already taken off and begun bringing the clouds in for the start of winter. However, as they got closer to the moderate-sized crowd that was watching, it became obvious that something was up. There wasn't much excitement going on at all, and even the mayor seemed quite distraught. It was odd, but Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash only exchanged glances and continued their approach. Despite the awkwardness, though, Rainbow still couldn't help but grow in her own excitement at seeing the clouds being brought in: she'd witnessed snow from earth before, but she'd never witnessed the act of bringing it. And try as she might, she couldn't stop her stupid grinning at the thought of how busy the factory probably was pumping all those clouds out for the nearby earth towns.

Fluttershy had her mind on other aspects of what was going on, though, and she soon brought Rainbow's mind to them too as she led her down to the edge of the pony crowd standing around, where Rarity, Applejack, and Vinyl Scratch now were.

"Rarity!" the shy one called as they approached, causing all three of them to look her way, though Scratch only glanced over for a second before looking away again, obviously occupied with other thoughts. It wasn't like she was a close friend of Fluttershy anyway, though.

Rarity and Applejack both gave smiles and turned to face the two Pegasi as they came closer.

Applejack said, "Hey there, Fluttershy, Rainbow. You come to watch too?"

Fluttershy came to a sudden stop, almost causing Rainbow Dash to ram right into her, but the blue one caught herself just in time. She gave a slightly annoyed look as Fluttershy looked down shyly before continuing to speak. She was curious to know what was going on, but at the same time, she didn't want to completely interrupt…even if she technically already had. Hesitantly after, she looked up to meet the two's gazes again.

"Well, yes, but…" she took a pause to look over to the mayor and other Pegasi again. "…is something going on?"

Rarity shook her head in response, almost in disbelief. "_Five _of our Pegasi decided today was a splendid time to _not _show up. Apparently, one of them is sick, but…it's a bit hard to believe that that's the case with _all _of them. Especially since they didn't even _tell _Mayor they wouldn't be here. The poor dear is losing her mind!"

In unison, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at the news; that certainly wasn't good. Five may not have seemed like much to anyone, but the ponies who'd lived in Ponyville for a while knew how detrimental losing even a few could be, especially when the success relied on teamwork itself. The weather team would now have to work extra hard, but even that could end up backfiring if one of them worked past his or her limit.

"Oh my," Fluttershy worriedly responded as she averted her gaze. "That's not good at all."

"No it ain't. Winter might not be comin' today after all. Can't tell for sure, but, we'll see," Applejack agreed.

They'd lost a couple of the weather ponies last year as well who ended up having to quit for some reason or another. And all of them had been hoping it wouldn't happen again, but…now with this, it seemed like it might. Technically, they didn't know for sure what was going on with the Pegasi who weren't here, but even if they _couldn't _show up, it'd still be nicer with some explanation as to why. Rainbow Dash also only looked away worriedly in thought. She'd been really excited that winter was coming today so she could hurry and get home after the first snowfall. Now that it might not be coming, it looked like her plans were kinda ruined now. At least for a day. But that wasn't really bothering her right now as much as the thought of those Pegasi possibly just ditching so they didn't have to work.

There were two things Rainbow Dash had always been taught by her father: well, obviously, he'd been the one who taught her most of the things she knew about flying, but she'd also learned from him that above all else, the only thing a pony can do to completely fail at something, is letting down the ones who count on him. Even if a task can't be done perfectly, or even if one completely doubts himself, any amount of effort is better than none at all. For the pony who was sick, Rainbow could understand; but for the ones who hadn't even bothered to tell somepony they wouldn't be able to make it, the thought only angered her. At least if Mayor had known, she could've planned for the inconvenience. Rainbow tried to keep the thoughts from affecting her too much, but it was simply inevitable. With a sudden huff, she angrily slammed a hoof to the ground.

"That's not fair!" she exclaimed, causing all of them to jump a little. "They could've at least said something! There's nothing Mayor can do? There's no backup?"

Surprised, the four ponies, including Scratch, were all looking her way weirdly. Rainbow was right, of course: it wasn't fair at all. There was nothing they could really do about it, though, as they sure weren't weather ponies. A few seconds of silence passed before Scratch finally broke it with a reply.

She smirked, "Not unless _you _wanna get out there, babe."

Rainbow's anger immediately left her at the suggestion, magenta eyes widening with a surprised blink; she wasn't sure whether she was more taken aback by the reply itself, or the fact that Scratch had just called her babe. A little bit of a blush came to her cheeks, but before it could embarrass her _too _much, Applejack took the awkward silence to speak next.

"Land sakes! I didn't even think a' that one! Rainbow, didn't you tell me you was in some flyin' camp for a while? I bet you really _could _get out there! Either you or Fluttershy, one. Y'all both got the wings!"

Fluttershy gasped lightly, backing away instantly at the frightening thought, eyes wide. "O-Oh no, I-I could never… I-I'm not a good flier at all…"

When Rainbow Dash said nothing, the four ponies brought their gazes to her again, almost expectantly. The thought was in the air now, and even Fluttershy seemed to be accepting of it, at least a little. She smiled just a little at her roommate, hesitantly, and very quietly, continuing.

"_You _really are a great flier, though, Rainbow," she finished. She said nothing more, as she didn't want to be the one to ask so much of her. But even she couldn't deny that Rainbow probably could help out, if she wanted to.

Rainbow still couldn't speak for a second, and only took a step back, herself, her cheeks only reddening more as she looked among the ponies who were now all waiting for her to respond. She hadn't meant _her! _She hadn't even assumed they'd pin this on her if she said something about it! She didn't even live here in Ponyville! She sure as hay didn't want to go out there with all these professional weather ponies; she was good, hell, she was _great _as far as she was concerned, but…as good as them? Her voice choked in her throat a moment before she finally forced herself to speak again, her heartbeat speeding up from both disbelief, and the reality of the situation she'd now gotten herself into.

"W-Well—_yeah_…but…_me? _I don't even… Would she even…"

Suddenly, Applejack nudged her, quite harder than she expected, and gave a chuckle as she walked around behind to push her again, toward the front of the town hall building.

She said as she corralled her forward, "C'mon now, girlie. If me and Fluttershy both think you can do it, I'd say you should go on and give it a try. Any help's better than nothin'! Just leave the talkin' to me!"

Rainbow only whimpered softly, but couldn't allow herself to stop walking forward with Applejack toward the front of the crowd. This was certainly not what she'd expected, or wanted at all, but there was nothing she could do about it now, now that all three of her friends were counting on her to try it. She shut her eyes for a few of the seconds it took to reach the mayor, trying to calm herself. But in barely any time at all, they'd reached the front, and she'd been pushed right in front of the town's head lady.

Much to Rainbow's surprise, it really didn't even take a full minute for her orange friend to convince their mayor that she was a perfect stand-in for at least one of the Pegasi who hadn't shown up. Of course, Applejack had always been a pony that the mayor trusted in, not only for the produce their town was provided with constantly, but for her dependable nature as well. If Applejack had a suggestion, it was obviously a good one.

Rainbow hesitantly looked around at all the ponies who were watching her now, and silently, she gulped, her cheeks still red. Applejack continued her talk with the mayor for what seemed like much longer than it was, mostly due to Rainbow's internal freaking. She was still in disbelief that this was happening. She almost wanted the mayor to change her mind about this, but with Applejack's bragging on her flying skills, and Mayor's desperate need of even a little more help, that was obviously not happening. Finally, as the conversation shifted a little, the Mayor brought her attention to Rainbow Dash, and spoke.

"You're really interested in giving it a try?" she asked her. "You aren't a weather pony, so I can't make you, but…if you really think you can help, I'd appreciate it a lot. Nopony else has ever offered!"

The polychromatic one jumped at the words being directed at her, and turned to meet the mayor's hopeful gaze. She was frozen for just a moment, uncertainty coating her own eyes as she ran the question through her mind a few more times. _It wasn't ME that offered! _Internally, she almost felt like whining about it, but she knew she could never do such a thing to Ponyville's mayor. And seeing Applejack's attempt at a reassuring smile, as well as the mayor's anticipation, Rainbow also knew it was impossible for her to back out now. Not now that they were all expecting this from her, and seriously believing she could do it.

She sighed, shutting her eyes for just a few seconds, before opening them again, and lifting herself up into a more confident-looking pose, or, what she hoped was one that would assure them of her ability. She couldn't believe she was even doing this, but…if she was going to, she had to try her best to push this fear back. And get some words together.

"…U-Um…yeah…I mean, yes, ma'am. I wanna try," she finally choked out, hoping the fact that she really _didn't _want to try wouldn't show. All she could do now was hope Applejack was right to believe in her so much.

The mayor blinked, and a short moment of silence followed the response. Rainbow almost fell short, but the older pony suddenly gave a smile.

She said, "Alright then! Just follow the other Pegasi and you'll be fine!"

The mayor explained the details of what Rainbow would be doing quickly, and just as quickly, Rainbow jumped into flight, and followed the others as she was told. Once she was in the sky, she heaved a sigh, glad to be away from all the other ponies who were now staring at her, even if they still technically were. In the air, though, it was easier to forget them, which was why even if she hadn't really wanted to, she still had quickly jumped into the task. It took a second in the sky for her to completely soak in the thought that she'd seriously been given a job for the day, but quickly, she sped up, and followed the others who were headed back to the halfway point between Ponyville and the factory, to get the snow clouds.

_How the hay did I get myself into this! Why did I even have to say anything! I swear if Applejack and Fluttershy are wrong about this…_

She couldn't help but growl at herself as she sped even faster, knowing that even if she didn't particularly want to do this, as Applejack had made it seem like, she still had to. And she couldn't just stay mad at them…they were her friends. And they really believed she could do it.

_Okay, just get over it, and get to the damn clouds!_

As she flew on, Rainbow couldn't deny it felt good to be going so fast through the cool autumn air, which was only growing cooler as more snow clouds came in. She closed her eyes again as she continued on the air-path, trying to relax. It'd be fine. She'd blown everypony away back in flight camp, and always had, ever since she was a tiny filly. She had the same speed her father had, hell, he'd told her himself that she had even _more _skill than him, plenty of times now. Especially with the Sonic Rainboom she'd done at such a young age: maybe she hadn't been able to do it again yet, but she'd still done it! If she could do that, she sure as hay could do this!

The thoughts succeeded in relaxing her, and quicker than she'd assumed she would, she arrived at the halfway point where the clouds were being given out by a few of the factory workers.

_Oh geeze, please don't recognize me…_

She knew it was too good to be true, though. As she approached to get a cloud to bring back, the pony who gave it to her gave her a surprised look, and a small inquiry. Of course anypony from the weather factory would automatically know who she was; it was simply inevitable, and insanely annoying.

"…Rainbow Dash?" he asked, obviously confused to see _her _doing this.

"Yeah," she answered very bluntly, her tone a little more annoyed than she'd intended.

_Now gimme my cloud, _she finished the thought as she grabbed the large, fluffy form from him, and hurriedly turned to begin her trip back to Ponyville, leaving him in the same confusion she'd brought him into.

Rainbow Dash gave another heavy sigh, rolling her eyes as she focused on her task again, and tried to ignore the fact that practically everypony who worked with her father knew exactly who she was. She brought her attention to her cloud again as she continued on; she had to be as gentle as possible with it, yet still get it to Ponyville as quickly as possible, if she really wanted to be of any help. Slowly, she gained her speed back again, and ended up almost flying as fast as she'd been before when she'd just been on her way to the midway point. With her speed, it only took her about ten minutes between the points, which also sent her passing quite a few of the other weather ponies, though she barely even took the time to notice. If she'd paused a moment, though, she'd have seen all the surprised glances she was getting from them. That was simply how it was when she set her mind to conquering, though. She was the best. She'd always been the best.

And that was exactly what had happened. As nervous as she'd been about it to begin with, all of that had pretty much gone away by the first cloud, and now she only wanted to succeed at what she'd been assigned to. The adrenaline was pumping all the way through her now, just from the mere thought of failure, of winter not brought in just because of a few ponies who hadn't had the decency to announce that they wouldn't be available to do their damn jobs. Still, she knew she technically didn't know the reasoning behind their absence, even if they hadn't told anyone, and they could have valid reasons. But seriously, they still could've told somepony that before it became the huge issue it was now!

As more time passed, Rainbow hurriedly brought in more and more clouds, and before long, she was even bringing in double the amount that most of the weather ponies were bringing in. She really didn't mean to seem like she was trying to be better than them, because she really wasn't, but at the same time, she couldn't help it that she kind of was. Or rather, totally was. It was just in her blood: she was an expert in the skies, just as Rigel was.

Back in Ponyville, all the other ponies were still watching the whole process in amazement. They'd started out with barely any clouds, and now had so many that the entire sky would definitely be filled before the day was over. Which said a hell of a lot considering they'd been short five Pegasi, and even with those Pegasi, they still wouldn't have made _this _much progress in only a single hour. Since Rainbow had started, more and more ponies had stopped to watch the clouds come in, as well as Pinkie Pie who'd finally bounced in late on the scene to take her place next to Scratch. Still, late or not, she was just as enthusiastic about it as anypony else, if not even more, with the strong affinity she held for Pegasus ponies in general.

"Whooo! Go Dashie!" she called with a giggle, very happy she hadn't missed the show. "I had no idea she was a weather pony too! How great! Maybe she can teach me!"

Rarity gave a soft laugh. "Darling, she's just helping out. And…you don't have wings."

"…Oh yeah," the pink one paused from her bouncing with a pouty look. She was generally fine with being an earth pony, but at the same time…she couldn't help but want to be able to fly sometimes.

"She may just be helping out, but she's good. Like…really good," Scratch chimed in, even she unable to ignore the skills of the polychromatic Pegasus.

Pinkie answered, "Well, _yeah! _She is a _rainbow _Pegasus! They're the only ones who can do all the _super_ cool moves like Sonic Rainbooms and stuff."

Both Rarity and Scratch gave a weird look at the matter-of-fact statement, neither of them having even heard of rainbow Pegasi, or Sonic Rainbooms. Neither of them could really tell whether the little note was serious or not, simply because Pinkie was always switching back and forth between crazy shit and real shit. As her closest friend, though, Scratch had learned that despite how weird the earth pony could be, she often really did know what she was talking about, even if it seemed a little farfetched. She could only grin, and look back to the sky again, deciding to take her word for it.

A few feet away, Fluttershy wasn't paying any attention to the conversation at all, as she was too busy watching Rainbow Dash, herself. Blue-green hues wide with hope, it hadn't taken long at all for her to become completely unable to hold back a smile. A part of her almost felt like crying, as silly as the thought sounded to her. But Rainbow was doing it. She was not only helping Ponyville immensely, but she was proving to her, and to herself, that she could still succeed at life, regardless of how much she'd doubted it over the few months of self-discovery. Not to mention that even if she'd been avoiding this at all costs, she was now getting noticed by Ponyville as a whole, and they'd definitely never forget her for helping so much. Of course, that was only a matter of time, Fluttershy knew. Rainbow Dash was amazing. She always had been.

"…You say her name is Rainbow Dash?"

Still in front of the town hall, the mayor and Applejack stood watching the scene as well, though as Applejack had seen the Pegasus in action in the past, she wasn't nearly as surprised or impressed as the older one next to her. She smiled proudly, though, glad she'd suggested Rainbow helping out, and glad her help was definitely paying off. Hell, at this rate, it'd only take another hour or so before the sky was filled and the first snowfall could begin: of course, Applejack had always known she was right about Rainbow's wings being more powerful than her legs. The only thing going through the mayor's mind was how she'd never even heard of this pony before.

Applejack answered, "Yes'm. Rainbow Dash."

And just as had been suspected, only a little over another hour passed before the sky was filled with clouds, and the snowfall finally, slowly began, and with it the signal to the weather team that their job was done. Through the entire ordeal, Rainbow Dash had blocked out nearly everything from her mind but the task itself, and she really hadn't even realized how close they were to being done, until one of the official weather ponies managed to get her attention. And with said attention came the surprising realization that the cheering from the crowd below was not only directed at the snow that was finally falling down, but also at her. Rainbow had been so enwrapped in her flying that she hadn't even noticed how many ponies had stopped to watch her. But now that she was back in reality again, she could scarcely believe she'd helped the process to move so quickly, as well as gained quite a few extra viewers.

The fact that so many had their eyes on her now would've normally brought the instinct back to her to flee, but…they truly were cheering, for her. She'd never had a crowd cheer for her before. Witnessing it now, though, she could only be reminded of how badly she'd wanted something like this when she was younger. She'd gotten a whole act planned out in her filly years, too, what she would say, what body language she would use, when she finally succeeded at winning the hearts of so many others. She still remembered it. But she was too shocked to even _think _about seriously doing it. She was only frozen for a moment with the weather ponies still in the air nearby, blush upon her cheeks, until the cold sensation of snowflake upon face broke her daze, and she hesitantly looked up to see the white ice droplets coming down.

* * *

><p><strong>BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING...<strong>

**I know my thing about how snowfall works in Ponyville was utter bullshit and made no sense. I also know this chapter was predictable as hell. :D If you didn't predict it, though, don't feel bad. You're still amazing! **

**I'm...kinda lost at why so few of you reviewed my last chapter. ): Not trying to complain but... Was 9 just not as good as the past ones? Hopefully y'all liked this one better. I'm actually even MORE worried about this one, though. I feel like it was too dramatic or something. But even if it was predictable, I hope it was handled alright, nevertheless. I'm just glad school hasn't gotten in the way as much as I thought it would!**

**Well, there's only one more real chapter left, and then an epilogue. I've also devised a soundtrack for the story, which I'll post next Friday with chapter 11. That might sound weird, but they're mostly just songs that have inspired me along the way, or stuff I listened to a lot while writing it. Hopefully it'll be cool. Hopefully.**

**Oh and by the way... what's with the poll? Spitfire dream is tied at third? Are you guys just trolling or something? lmao.**

**Reviews are very appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned! I love y'all. (:**


	11. A Long Way

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Chapter 11 <strong>

* * *

><p>It was snowing.<p>

In a few hours to come, the entire town would be covered in the white fluff of a new season. Winter was here. And Ponyville had the weather team members who'd actually shown up, as well as their little polychromatic helper to thank for it. Rainbow had succeeded with flying colors, quite literally, and it was only then that Rainbow Dash and the weather ponies flew back down to earth, officially finished with their day's job.

Rainbow was still in a little bit of a daze, simply from the result she was now witnessing. As soon as she landed, she was immediately met by a circle of other ponies, including the friends who'd ushered her to help out to begin with, and not to mention, a lot of ponies were still cheering. Though Rarity, Scratch, and Pinkie came to a stop, Pinkie bouncing in place joyfully with them, Fluttershy and Applejack didn't hesitate to tackle the blue Pegasus to the ground in happy excitement.

"Rainbow Dash, you did such a good job!" the shy one ecstatically giggled her greeting.

Applejack added, "We sure knew you could do it, too!"

Now tackled by both of her closest Ponyville friends, Rainbow only stifled a still-partially-shocked laugh of her own, unable to keep from smiling as her cheeks reddened from the flattery. She still couldn't completely believe she'd done it as well as she had, even if the reality of it was right in front of her. With a few more stifled giggles at the embrace Fluttershy now had her in, she tried to catch her breath to respond, though couldn't find too many words at the moment.

"Thanks…" was all she breathed out, again through a small, flattered laugh.

It was definitely awkward being surrounded by ponies who loved her efforts, even if she'd always only dreamt of such a thing. The crowd who'd watched her wasn't exactly _that _big, but nevertheless, it wasn't like she'd ever been loved by this many ponies who didn't even know who she was. She'd had some fans back in flight camp, but…that was a little different than this. Quite literally, Rainbow only knew a small handful of the ponies who were complimenting her now, and thanking her; and even if there weren't hundreds of them or anything, it was still a lot more than she was particularly used to.

While the situation was just a little more than Rainbow was prepared for, it didn't take too long before everypony had taken to playing in the falling snow rather than keeping around her and the others of the weather team. Rainbow was quite fine with this, though, as the snow was something she'd been waiting for just as much! With the job done, and the ground becoming more blanketed by the minute, it was definitely time to enjoy the product of winter's first day's work. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Scratch didn't hesitate much longer before diving into the now-forming piles of snow along with the other ponies.

"Though this is lovely, I can't _believe _I forgot to bring my scarf!" Rarity spoke, pouting just a little as she watched the snowflakes continue to fall to earth, glad to enjoy the beauty of the season over anything else.

Pinkie Pie only giggled, rolling around in the afternoon snow as Fluttershy attempted to create a snowpony. Applejack was making snowballs instead, and Rainbow Dash had taken a moment to lie down, also watching the snowflakes fall, and again being reminded of home. Seeing snow from earth was just as beautiful as she remembered it, and being with her friends in it made it even better. At this point, Rainbow was indeed torn between staying in Ponyville even _longer, _or going on home in the next few days as she'd planned. A lot of the ponies in Ponyville liked her now, and her reputation was a good one, despite the secret she still held from all but one. But most importantly, she had Fluttershy here, as well as Applejack, who were now the closest friends she'd made since Gilda, and she felt safe again. Maybe she _should _just write another letter and stay a few more weeks…

Shaking the thoughts out of her mind, though, Rainbow decided to worry about that tomorrow. The rest of this afternoon was for fun, and experiencing winter in Ponyville! Besides, she'd definitely be visiting this town a lot more now. What was there to worry about?

As if on cue with her thoughts, a snowball flew in out of nowhere, hitting the blue Pegasus on the side of the head and with it, bringing a startling flinch to her. Eyes wide, Rainbow looked over to the direction the snowball had come from, only to see Applejack grinning stupidly at her. Just what she needed. Grinning back, Rainbow got to her hooves, and hurriedly began rolling a few snowballs of her own. It was time for a snow duel of epic proportions!

The fight carried on for a few minutes, snowballs being hurled everywhere, as Fluttershy tried desperately to protect her snowpony, and Rarity only tried to not be hit. Liking the idea, even Scratch had joined in. Pinkie Pie, however, only continued her rolling around, until a snowball came flying directly for Rarity.

"I'LL SAVE YOU!"

The pink puff jumped to her hooves instantly and dove in front of the unicorn, but rather than taking the blow, or blocking the snowball completely, she caught it with great accuracy, right in her mouth.

"Mmmmmmmmm! Snowy!" she continued after swallowing it down with a triumphant, giddy smile, and making sure to pose as if she'd saved Rarity from certain death, which was hardly the case.

And of course, the move only brought a surrounding pause amongst the other ponies. It would be Pinkie to take catching snowflakes with one's tongue to a new level. Though it wasn't _too _weird or something to do, the others who had tasted snow couldn't help but wonder if Pinkie actually enjoyed the taste of ice crystals that had fallen to the ground and been hoof-rolled. Rarity, whose life had been saved, even if she did find the means a little disgusting, tried her best to ignore said means, and focus on the act itself.

She said, "Ah…thank you…Pinkie Pie. That was very brave."

"Eh, it was nothin'!" she responded, still smiling from ear to ear.

Trotting away from the scene now, Pinkie only rolled her sapphire eyes, not really understanding why it was such a big deal to eat snow. Still, she ignored it, like usual, and made her way back over to Vinyl Scratch to join in on the fight that had resumed again. Soon, though, she left that too, and decided on helping Fluttershy with her snowpony: somepony had to help sweet, little Fluttershy, after all! Or so that was Pinkie's philosophy. And even if Fluttershy wasn't in dire need of assistance, she still appreciated the help quite a lot.

The afternoon progressed, and with it came the end of the snowball fight, and the finished product of Fluttershy and Pinkie's hooves. It was now Rainbow Dash who rolled around in the piles of snow, while the others giggled over the snowpony, who now had rocks and sticks for a face, and Applejack's hat for his only attire.

Pinkie announced, "Let's call him Mr. McSnowHoof!"

Again, the ponies laughed at the name, despite how perfect it actually was for a snowpony.

"You ain't gonna eat him too, are ya?" Applejack asked with a smirk. The pink one blinked a few times, meeting her green gaze with a look of near-surprise, as if she'd completely forgotten that she'd eaten the snowball to begin with. But quickly, she giggled again, grinning broadly at the question.

"Nah!" she replied. "I'll let him live!"

Affectionately, Rarity rolled her eyes, and Vinyl Scratch only grinned as well, while Fluttershy gazed happily at the finished concoction of snow, feeling quite accomplished that they'd completed him. Rainbow Dash also smiled at the snowpony, but momentarily looked upward to the cloudy sky from her place in the snow; she still rested on her back, and gave a silent sigh as her mind drifted again to just how much she loved moments like these now.

The giggles and joking conversation faded rather abruptly after a few seconds, though, bringing a silence that broke Rainbow's thoughts. Confusedly, she pulled herself up again to see what was going on, and at the sight, her eyes only widened, and she too froze for a second. A few feet away from them was the mayor, and none of them were certain how long she'd been there. The older pony only smiled, though, and took a few more steps forward.

She greeted, "Forgive me for interrupting, my little ponies. I just came to have a word with Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind."

There was another short moment of silence before Applejack gave a wide smile, followed by the others, who all were again reminded of the good job their friend had done earlier.

"Course we don't mind, Miss Mayor!" the orange pony answered her, and looked over to Rainbow who was now rolling over to stand up again and shaking the snow off her coat and wings.

Rainbow Dash finished getting the snow off herself, and couldn't even stop the light blush from coming to her cheeks again as she was too reminded of everything. She'd really no idea what the mayor wanted to say to her, but hopefully it was something good. The other ponies had all thought she'd done well; if she'd gone and disappointed the mayor, that was really something she'd rather not even know. _Why am I even doubting myself, though? _she wondered. She knew she'd done a good job! Shaking all the thoughts from her mind, she decided to not even think about it, just go.

The Pegasus took a few steps forward as well, and attempted a smile of her own as she tried to forget that all her friends were watching. The mayor looked over to them again before she began, knowing they all had no doubt she was here to give good news. Which, she was. Looking back to Rainbow, she let her smile grow.

"Rainbow Dash. I just came to personally thank you, for all the help you provided today," she told her. "You…made it seem like we hadn't even lost any of our weather ponies. And I really appreciate it. I'm not even sure how to properly repay you, but…I hope words count for something."

It took Rainbow a moment to gather a response, mostly from the relief that she'd really done well, even to the mayor's standards. Of course, she still didn't quite know why that was surprising her. Had all this shit she'd gone through lately really changed her this much? No. If it had, it was only because she'd allowed it to. With a silent sigh, she closed her eyes a second or two, opening them again to give a dumb grin. What was she even thinking! She was the best!

She answered through a stifled chuckle, "Words are great… I'm…glad I could help."

_Yeah…smooth. _

But the mayor only stifled a laugh too at the response.

"I hope so. I'm still not sure what happened today with the other Pegasi, but, again, thank you for fixing that for us. You really are a great flier," she kept her smile, giving a small bow of the head once her words were finished.

Once she'd given her gratitude, the older one bade the group of ponies farewell, and went along her way again. It _was_ getting fairly late in the afternoon, reaching evening now, though, and the mayor wasn't the only one who needed to be heading back home. With her leave came another round of the other ponies tackling Rainbow Dash with congratulations, and finally, the first snow day of the season coming to its end. As the ponies got ready to take their leaves, of course, they stayed in conversation, especially Rarity, who simply couldn't get over how irresponsible the handful of weather ponies had been that day.

She said, "I _do _hope those other Pegasi get around to explaining themselves to poor Mayor, though. Just think if I went around doing that to my customers! She was very lucky to have you, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah..." Rainbow smiled slightly, both in agreement, and grateful for the commending.

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped into the conversation, blue eyes wide with both surprise and confusion. She paused before continuing. "…Pegasi?"

The others quieted again, giving weird looks to the question, while Pinkie only genuinely awaited a response. Of course Pegasi. That was what the whole issue of today had been about, and the reason Rainbow Dash had helped out to begin with. Even Vinyl Scratch seemed confused at Pinkie's interruption. But finally, Applejack answered her.

She said, "Uh…yeah. The mayor was short five of 'em today. Where you been?"

Blinking a few times, the earth pony's blue eyes widened with even more surprise, as if she'd had some kind of huge epiphany. The other five, including Rainbow and Scratch, only kept their confused silence. Had she really not even realized how big a deal Rainbow's success had been today?

"Uh…Pinkie?" Applejack asked again.

The curly-maned pony flinched a little, the inquiry getting her attention back. But after looking over the confused faces, she only grinned, quite nervously, and gave a stifled laugh before edging away from them a few steps.

"I mean! Yeah! Pegasi! I knew that! Duh! …But yeah, it's late! I should…ya know…go. Goodnight, girls! Great job, Dashie!"

And with that, Pinkie Pie bounced away, dashing away from her friends and hurrying home, apparently. Stunned silence followed the act, as nopony really even understood what it was about. Until Vinyl Scratch gave a sudden, small gasp, her jaw dropping open. The same realization that hit her best friend had finally come to her as well. There was no way… She remembered it as well as Pinkie did, though, and couldn't even believe it'd taken this long for both of them to realize what they'd done.

"…No way… PINKIE, WAIT UP!" the musician galloped after her, knowing exactly why Pinkie was hurrying away from the situation now.

The remaining ponies only kept the exact demeanor as before, as well as the same dumbstruck expressions. Obviously this was something only the two party animals understood. And hopefully for them, it would stay that way. Unless, of course, those Pegasi actually _wanted _the mayor to know that they'd stayed up all night getting drunk off spiked punch, instead of preparing for the first day of winter.

Finally deciding to ignore the weird secrets of their partying friends, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity began their trips home as well. The day was nearly over, and it only became colder as the sunlight slowly faded. With winter finally here, it'd be a great night for warm fires and hot chocolate before bed. Which was exactly what Fluttershy had in mind to share with her best friend before she'd leave for Cloudsdale within the next few days.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash had waited nearly a week before she'd decided it was time to leave Ponyville. She knew she should've gone before then (as she still hadn't written another letter, and at this point, she knew writing another would be pointless), but the fresh snow only continued to draw her outside on a daily basis, and more significantly, so did her friends. Even if she <em>was <em>planning to come back to the town, she'd fallen in love with it to the point where leaving even for a while didn't sound like something she'd enjoy. Still, she'd been away from Rigel and Breezie long enough; it wasn't fair for her to leave them wondering, and in the dark with the newest decision that was weighing in her mind.

It was something she hadn't even considered until two days past, but now that it was it there, entirely hers, she honestly couldn't help but view it as a possibility. One that the more she thought about, the more she wanted to happen. She just needed a couple second opinions, and hopefully, approval. So as she readied herself for the trip back to Cloudsdale – the trip she was _finally _taking – she ran over how exactly she was going to say this once she got there.

"So, um, how long are you gonna be staying once you get there?" her shy friend asked.

Looking to Fluttershy, the other Pegasus smiled with a silent sigh. It was something she didn't even know, herself. There was no way she could stay away from Ponyville _too _long, though: it was practically a second home to her now. When she didn't answer right away, Fluttershy took the chance.

She continued, "Ya know, you'll always be welcome here, at my cottage. Even if you aren't here all the time."

Rainbow hesitated another moment, taking in the words. She'd loved staying with Fluttershy; it'd been one of the best things about her vacation from home; but she knew more than anyone she couldn't stay with her forever. Nevertheless, the sweet offer was one she'd never forget, and visiting often was definitely on her second option list. She finally stifled a small chuckle, but rather than replying first, she jumped forward to pull the shy pony into a hug. Fluttershy, though surprised by the sudden gesture, didn't hesitate to return it.

"I know," Rainbow Dash told her. "I'll definitely be back here a lot! I could never just ditch you forever."

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at the statement, knowing better than anyone else how true it was. She and Rainbow had a friendship that would always remain as strong as it was now, and the memories to prove it. "Yeah…I'll miss you being here, though. Have a safe trip," she said.

With the last words, the two released the embrace, and Rainbow gave a nod. She'd already told all the others goodbye earlier, so there was nothing else left to do. It was time to get home.

* * *

><p>In the near-three-month period spent in Ponyville, it was almost as if Rainbow Dash had taken another term of flight camp. If flight camp and Ponyville were to be combined, it was really the longest time she'd ever spent away from home. Then again, she <em>had <em>been home between them, so…did it really count at all? Well, regardless of the length of the trips, she was finally almost home now, and she only hoped her parents weren't devastated from her being away for so long. Especially since the possible new plan she'd been given depended on that, in a sense.

Rainbow Dash wasn't nearly as distraught as she'd been on the trip _to _Ponyville, so her trip back to Cloudsdale only took her around thirty minutes. On the way, she thought about the distance. It could've been worse. Just imagine if home was six hours away or something. She didn't even want to think about it.

Seeing her medium-sized cloud home again for the first time in months was again, awkward, just as it usually was. Perhaps that was because flight camp had always been something she'd done on a regular basis, ever since she was a filly. She was used to being away from home from time to time. Once she'd arrived, Rainbow Dash only stood outside for a moment, wondering how things would go. Would they understand? Would they be angry at her? Would they be sad? There was a possibility for each of the reactions, but…if there was one thing Rainbow knew, it was that her parents loved her. Rigel and Breezie had always made sure she knew that, above all else. So hopefully, even with a decision like this, they would respect it, and understand that it wasn't like she wouldn't be their daughter anymore.

Rainbow hesitated for another few seconds, but finally lifted her hoof to knock on the door. And just as she anticipated, it wasn't long at all before the door was opened, and she'd been pulled inside the house in a flurry of joy by her overprotective, sweet-as-honey mother. The action was always just a little uncomfortable, but it'd always been the thing she'd counted on to show her that no matter what, the family relationship they held hadn't changed. More than anything, too, she loved that confirmation, no matter how tight her spastic mom's hugs were.

"OH! RAINBOW DASH! MY SWEET BABY! OH, I MISSED YOUUUU! RIGEL! SHE'S BAAACK!"

"Hi, mom," she answered through stifled laughs and a muffled voice. She didn't even try fighting against the embrace; she didn't want to. It'd been nearly three months since Breezie had been able to hug her, and she knew better than anyone how much her mother had missed it.

The sound of calm hoofsteps was heard in the background of the commotion Rainbow was now in with her mother, and she soon heard the second familiar voice she'd been away from for quite a while. "It's about time you got back home," Rigel said. His daughter could practically hear the small smile that now graced his lips, and as Breezie finally released her from the hug, Rainbow galloped to Rigel for a second hug.

She hadn't even quite realized just how much she'd missed them, or just how happy seeing them again would make her. But it was definitely one of the greatest feelings she'd had in a while to be back, despite knowing that this might change entirely within the next few minutes, once she finally told them what was going on. A part of her wanted to forget the entire ordeal, but…she knew she couldn't do that. She was ready for this. Once the hellos and hugs were finally over, the real conversation began.

"Oh honey!" her mother started. "I know you wrote us a couple times, but it's been a while since your last letter! That's not a bad thing, is it? You still enjoyed Ponyville?"

Rainbow Dash grinned at the questions, finally taking a seat to have the first real talk with them she'd had in a while. She laughed. "Chyeah! I had the best time ever! Ponyville is the best _place _ever!"

"That's wonderful," Rigel answered, also stifling a laugh at his daughter's excitement. "Guess your mother had the right idea with sending you there for a while."

_Yeah…she so did, _Rainbow Dash couldn't help but think to herself. She honestly had no idea how she would've ended up dealing with her lesbian issues if she hadn't ended up in Ponyville with Fluttershy, spilling her heart out, and becoming best friends with her the way she had. Only a few times had Rainbow doubted her mother's intuition, and now, was just another of those times she'd been proven totally wrong.

Breezie continued, "Of course I did! I knew you only needed to spend some time with some ponies your own age, make some new friends. How many did you end up making?"

The young one paused to think about the question a moment, honestly having not expecting to be asked how many she'd made. Well, she definitely had Fluttershy and Applejack as friends. And she supposed the others counted as well, and if not all of them, Rarity definitely did. She gave a small nod at the thought, and smiled brightly again.

"I guess…five so far. Maybe."

"How wonderful!" Breezie echoed the word her husband had used earlier, and hesitated before she pulled Rainbow into yet another hug, though not as intense as the last one. "Ohhh! I'm sorry, baby! It's just so great to see you doing so well!"

Rainbow Dash only laughed, but stopped suddenly. Oh yeah. She'd completely forgotten that they'd been worried about…something. Her becoming a recluse had been the only thing she'd thought of. Now with it in mind again, she couldn't help but wonder if they were still worried about whatever it was. She again decided not to ask about it, though, as she had a feeling whatever it was, it wouldn't be an issue anymore after today.

Rigel added, "It really is… You didn't get into any trouble down there, did you?"

At the question, both Rainbow and Breezie paused in their hug for a moment, but quickly Rainbow giggled again, rolling her eyes as she broke the embrace and gave him a funny look.

"No!" she said. They all knew the question was a joke, but nevertheless, joke or not, Rainbow _always _answered them. Playfully, she hit him with a hoof, glad that everyone was in a good mood. The action finally brought a grin from the stallion, as he knew full well that while his daughter could be more on the mischievous side, she never did anything _too _bad. They'd raised her, after all: she was a good girl.

There was another short moment of silence between them before Breezie spoke up again.

"You did get to have some fun, though, didn't you? You were down there when the clou – oh! That's right! Rigel said one of the other factory workers saw you!"

Rainbow's magenta eyes widened suddenly at the statement; it hadn't even crossed her mind that they'd find that out. Now that it was, though, she felt quite dumb. Duh! She should've known her father would be informed about it! Blushing just a little, just from the slight embarrassment of being called out about it, she didn't quite know how to answer. It wasn't like it was _that _big of a deal, though: she'd been planning to tell them anyway. She just hadn't expected it'd go like this. Both of her parents were now waiting expectantly for an answer, so she hurriedly pulled one together.

She said, her surprised look becoming another smile, "Yeah! I, um, I got to help bring the clouds in! The mayor needed some help with it, so I volunteered!"

Okay, so that wasn't _exactly _how it'd gone. But now that it was over, and she was home telling about it, she couldn't help but want to make it sound at least a _little _better. Besides, it was close enough! She smiled with a smug triumph, very glad she even had something like this to brag about now, especially to her father. And that wasn't all. Breezie gasped suddenly, overjoyed to hear such a thing, while Rigel's eyes only widened, though he was obviously surprised, as well as impressed.

"You DID!" her mother exclaimed. "Oh how wonderful! And it went well?"

Still smiling, Rainbow Dash nodded. She opened her eyes again after the nod, and paused a moment, her expression becoming a more nervous one. She really had no idea how her parents would take this, but there was no better time to voice it now. Swallowing down her uncertainty, she spoke again.

"I…well…I kinda have something to tell you guys…about that…actually…"

She gave her parents time to prepare for what she was about to say, as she watched their looks turn into ones more of surprise, and a bit of confusion. They obviously hadn't been expecting her quick change of tone and demeanor. But…she still wasn't quite sure how to tell them this.

"About the clouds?" asked Rigel.

Again, the young one nodded, and gave a silent sigh as she gathered the words together. She really hoped more than anything that they wouldn't mind this. Especially since after thinking about this option she'd been given, she'd truly come to the decision that it was what she wanted. At least, something she wanted to try. There was no telling if it would last, and even if it didn't, she'd still have her parents to come to. If they didn't mind. Rainbow averted her gaze as she finally spoke, her cheeks reddening again, just a little.

She continued, "Yeah… You see… They… They offered me a job…in Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash allowed the words to roll out, hesitating another second before forcing her magenta gaze back up to meet their own. There were so many wrong ways her parents could take this, so she had to choose her wording carefully. She wasn't trying to run away from them! Even _she'd _been surprised as hell when the mayor had shown up at Fluttershy's cottage a few days after the incident, telling her that if she wanted, a position on the weather team was all hers. Rainbow hadn't immediately wanted the job, but…after some consideration, she'd had a change of heart. She did _need _something like this, after all: now that she was done with flight camp (she'd officially decided not to return; she was an already an expert flier anyway), it wasn't like she had anything _else _to do. No more school, no more flight camp. By society's standards, she was practically an adult now. And she certainly didn't want to end up as a bum sitting around doing nothing, or a random house-wife. Of course, the latter wasn't even an option anymore, and even back when she'd thought it was, she still had never wanted kids of her own.

Just as the younger expected, both Rigel and Breezie took on even more shocked looks at the new information. Though Rainbow hadn't told them her decision yet, she knew they'd already figured out where she was getting at. She swallowed, refraining from continuing just yet; she wanted to see where this put them before she went on. When she said nothing else, the two of them exchanged glances, their gazes riddled with what looked to be some form of concern, but still the same surprise from before. It was finally Breezie who broke the new silence.

"…A job? …They want you to stay there?" she asked, in a very cautious tone, as if words alone could trigger some kind of disaster among them. The tone was almost frightening to Rainbow, and she desperately hoped it wasn't a bad thing.

"Yeah," she answered her, still calmly, and tried her best to smile, just a little. "…They want me to join their weather team. Well…the mayor does. I'll be the youngest one to do it, apparently, but…she says I'm one of the best fliers she's ever seen."

Now _that _was completely true: it was exactly what the older pony had told her. With the words in mind, Rainbow felt her cheeks growing warm again. She'd never been so complimented on her flying before, in a setting outside of flight camp, and knowing she was wanted for the skill only made her want to do it more, the more she thought about it. She still wanted to join the Wonderbolts one day after all, and would never give up that dream, but for now, having one town recognize her like this was a fine achievement until then.

Her father asked, "And you want to do it?"

Still meeting both their gazes, Rainbow nodded again, a single, firm nod. She tried her best not to let them notice that her heart was beating quite rapidly now, as she really wanted them to be okay with it, even if she'd be moving away from home. Ponyville wasn't too far, and she'd definitely visit. Maybe even come home for weekends if her new job would allow it. Mentally, she begged for them to not assume the worst. And hesitantly spoke, "I…_really _wanna do it."

She wanted to explain herself further, but was lost for words beyond that, as well as still a little scared to add more just yet. Her parents hesitated a few seconds, and Breezie replied.

"And what brought this on?" she asked, almost breathed, too surprised to ask anything else. Her voice and the look in the pink eyes she shared with her daughter both were proof that she was worried now. At least partially. Rainbow only blinked, a bit confused at the tone, as there was also just a small hint of anxiety in it, that sounded almost as if she found the suggestion unfair. Just as Rainbow was hoping she wouldn't. She'd already given her parents the answer to that question, though, so she didn't know what else to say.

Nevertheless, hearing the tone Breezie used, Rainbow Dash couldn't even stop herself from panicking just a little.

She continued, ignoring the question. "I'm not trying to get away from you guys! At all! I-I just…I love Ponyville…and I need something like this to do! I'll write every day! A-and—"

"Rainbow! Baby, calm down!"

Breaking her daughter's words, Breezie suddenly pulled her close again, into another hug, though not as tight as the previous ones. She closed her eyes a moment, shaking her head, and fighting back the emotion that the surprise of the matter, and the matter itself was giving her. Neither she nor Rigel had expected this. But over the embrace, the older mare looked to her mate to gather what his thoughts were, and by his own gaze back, she knew they shared the same understanding. Rainbow tilted her head upward to look at her mother; her mother gave a faint smile, nuzzling her softly.

Breezie continued, "It's okay. We know you're not running…but…honey, this is a huge decision. Are you…really sure you're ready to be on your own?"

The younger looked away with a silent sight, very, very relieved to hear that they understood that much, at least. As for the question, though, she really didn't have a definite answer. For a moment, she remained silent, just resting against her mother.

"I don't know," she finally answered truthfully. She didn't know for sure. But she still wanted to try, to stay in Ponyville, with the new home-away-from-home she'd made, and the new first real job she'd ever had, if she could. It was a little scary, she supposed, but that didn't stop her from wanting it. At least wanting to see if she could do it.

"And if you're not?" her mother went on with her next question, and Rainbow really had no idea what to say to it. She knew Breezie wasn't knocking her decision, or trying to prevent her from it, but genuinely concerned about it. She wanted to know her daughter would be alright, if this was what she wanted to do, and hell, Rainbow couldn't blame her for that. She was their only child, after all. And despite how strong her mom was trying to be, she knew she'd prefer for her to change her mind, and stay home forever. Just knowing that Breezie was holding back from outright saying it, though, said a lot.

Rigel finally spoke with an answer to the question, himself. "If she's not, she can come back. We're not going anywhere."

Both completely surprised at the bluntness, Breezie and Rainbow looked to him, eyes wide. Obviously, the words were true, but still unexpected. Breezie met his gaze almost sadly, but looking back to Rainbow who was starting to light up again, she knew he was right, and couldn't help giving a small smile of her own. Their daughter was growing up, and had been for some time now. She was old enough to make her own decisions, and she was mature enough to know if she needed to come back one day. Rainbow, still in a near state of happy shock, only looked back and forth between her parents, still in a partial hug with Breezie. They were…really going to let her?

"…So you don't mind?" she breathed, eyes widened hopefully.

Breezie stifled a small laugh, mixed with the tears she was still trying to hold back as she hugged Rainbow Dash close again. "You better be ready for lots of trips back here. Because if you aren't, you'll be coming back home to stay before you even get there, little girl."

"PROMISE!"

Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate to practically tackle her mother, laughing joyfully. Once she was done with that, she did the same to Rigel, thanking both of them over and over again. The three ponies ended up in a weird family hug before the laughing and thank-yous were finally over, and just by their daughter's reaction, both parents felt content that they'd made the right choice in letting her follow her heart's desire, even if it did involve moving away from home. As Rigel had said, she could always come back if she ended up unhappy actually _living _there, and the new job as weather pony really would give her something to do besides sit around (not to mention, it would be a good experience, just as her father approved of). Rainbow was more than happy about the permission, but above all else, she was just thankful to have a family who really, truly trusted her. Even if…she still wasn't quite ready to tell them the whole truth she'd been hiding yet.

Once the commotion had died down, her father had asked her, again in that lightly playful way he had amidst his seriousness, if she had anymore surprises for them to know about. She'd averted her gaze with a smile, her only thought being how ironic it was that she actually did, and told him no.

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><p><strong>Well, other than the epilogue...this is it. The end. Sometime next week is when I'll post it; I hope you darlings don't get lazy on me, though, haha; I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the epilogue, as well as this chapter. <strong>

**I can't believe this story is pretty much completed. I forget if I mentioned it, but it's been years since I've successfully finished a multi-chapter story. So yeah, I'm pretty hype. Hope you guys weren't too heartbroken that Dash didn't end up telling her parents yet. In time, in the sequel, that matter will be dealt with. But for now, she's still got a ways to go. You understand, I hope. **

_**Now! Onto my thank yous:**_  
><strong>More than anything, I'd just like to thank everyone who's stuck with this story: my reviewers, and my little whores who lurk &amp; fav without a word (I use "whores" affectionately, I promise ;) - I love you guys, too). Individually, I'd like to thank Heart of Blades &amp; SoundofRainfall for listening to me rant &amp; reading a few things ahead of time for me when I was in doubt - you guys are the best. As well as the handfull of you who've reviewed most chapters without fail - you know who you are, and I can't appreciate it enough! <strong>

**If you haven't reviewed yet, and you want to, I'd love to hear any overall thoughts. (: **

**Anddd now it's time for the soundtrack! If you don't care about the songs that have inspired me, you don't have to read this at all. For those who are interested, though, here ya go!**

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><p><strong><strong>**Soundtrack:**

**1. "Sexuality" by Ultraviolet Sound**

The song that started it all. At this point, I don't even know if this song inspired the story, or if the story inspired me to put the song with it. Either way, they go hand in hand.

**2. "One Step At A Time" by Jordin Sparks**

I quote from a comment I found on _songmeanings dot net_:  
>"I see it about giving yourself time to grow. That you shouldn't beat yourself up through your frustrations of feeling as though you can't act or appear the way you want to. You're getting there, one step at a time, through all of the trials and frustrations."<p>

Yep. Exactly that.

**3. "Kamikaze" by Owl City**

...Yeah, don't even ask. I just randomly ended up listening to this A LOT while writing the story, and for some weird reason, it makes me think of Rainbow. I think I was listening to it while thinking up a few scenes too, so, I can't just ignore it. In it goes!

**4. "Honey Shot [Pyro Fighter Remix]" by Pyro Fighter**

Oh, this one is so obvious it's not even funny. Make sure to listen to the remix if you listen at all!

**5. "(You Drive Me) Crazy (Stop Remix)" by Britney Spears**

Also obvious, as it was actually in the story. It's just the random party song.

**6. "Face Up" by LIGHTS**

This one might not be so obvious, so I'm gonna explain it. It's basically a Breezie & Rainbow song for me. Just about Breezie wanting her to overcome whatever she's going through and feel better about it. I know Breezie doesn't know what it is exactly her daughter is struggling with, but...she's still a mom. She can tell something's up. So yeah. Just something sweet for them.

**7. "Quiet" by LIGHTS**

Yep, another LIGHTS song. This one is for Fluttershy & Rainbow. I actually think it's meant to be kind of a love song, but...to me, it still fits them, as friends. It's basically about how Fluttershy is willing to be there for her, and go at her pace, waiting until she's ready to take the steps she needs to take. But it can also go the opposite direction, and be moreso about Rainbow feeling comfortable with her, and wanting to tell her all the secrets she has.

**8. "Guns and Horses" by Ellie Goulding**

This one, I won't be explaining just yet. But I will say that it applies to the sequel as well, and kind of hints at what one of the focuses will be. So here's your hint! :D Up to you to analyze it & make your hypothesis!

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><p><strong>Guess that's it. Thanks again to everyone; stay tuned for the epilogue &amp; the future sequel! I love you guys. (:<strong>


	12. Epilogue: Reunions

_"Of Females and Feathers"_  
><strong>Epilogue <strong>

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><p>Rainbow Dash had been a citizen of Ponyville for about a month now. And honestly, she hadn't felt better than she felt now in a while. For the first week or so, it'd been a little weird seriously having the town as her legit <em>home, <em>but with the passing of the next few, it quickly became just as normal as anything else. She loved Ponyville. She'd taken the chance and moved to Ponyville (of course, only after spending a few weeks in Cloudsdale again). She'd accepted her job, and was now an official weather pony. She was happy.

After talking to the mayor about her situation, and the fact that she would indeed be taking the position she'd been offered, the mayor had allowed her the freedom she needed for the weekends, to go back to Cloudsdale and see her parents. It was something she planned to attempt every weekend, and something she'd succeeded in doing for all of the current month. After being so amazing in allowing her to stay in Ponyville and take her job, after all, there was no way she would ever fail to keep the promise she'd made with her mother and father. Not as long as she could help it, anyway. So while other plans changed at random, Rainbow Dash always spent her weekends in Cloudsdale; all her friends knew it, too, as she'd made sure to tell them.

The job itself, was definitely something she enjoyed most about her new home, tied only with spending time with the friends she'd made. It was generally easy, as her main task was clearing the clouds when needed, and bringing them in when needed. And usually, all of the weather team helped out with their own specific tasks of the day. Each of them got their fair share of weather jobs, but with her speed, Rainbow Dash could almost always finish hers in minutes. Hell, sometimes even in seconds. She was already a natural, and the more she practiced, the more of a weather expert she would become. She'd actually never even dreamed she'd be working with weather like her father did, especially since she'd never held any interest in working in the factory. But of course, she hadn't even thought about the differences in weather tasks there, and here on earth. These kinds of weather jobs, she could do!

With her weekends planned, a real job, and a new life of her own, Rainbow Dash had even taken the next step to make it complete.

She now stood at the base of her very own new house, looking up at the big cloud structure with pride. She'd made it, herself, though she couldn't exactly take _all _the credit, as before she'd built it, it'd only been planned as a house. Now, nearly completed, and strangely, she knew, it was a castle.

"…_Why would I want a castle?" _

"_Why WOULDN'T you __want a castle?" _

As the exchange of words ran through her mind again, the Pegasus grinned to herself, actually really glad now that the crazy Pinkie Pie had come along while she'd been building, and helped herself to throwing in some of her own suggestions. While the idea of having a castle sounded almost too swanky to her at first, it hadn't taken long for the change of heart to ensue: after all, she _did _plan on becoming the captain of the weather team eventually, as well as a Wonderbolt. And what better way to keep her gradually returning ego boosted than living in a place like _this?_

It had certainly been the hugest step she'd made, moving out from home, as well as from Fluttershy's cottage. She still hadn't completely moved out from the latter until right lately. She'd miss being with Fluttershy all the time, perhaps even more than being in Cloudsdale all the time, but she knew better than anything that it was time. Besides, it wasn't as if she wouldn't be seeing the shy pony anymore; they would definitely still be hanging out, visiting one another, and not to mention, they'd still be in the same town. But Rainbow Dash couldn't keep living with her forever. If she didn't go ahead and leave now, it'd only serve to make things more difficult down the road – and she surely didn't want that.

Now, though, she finally felt content. She'd felt happiness during all the things she'd been through lately, excitement, lots of different emotions, but as far as being content with her life, and feeling like she was done with changes – at least for the moment – this truly was the first she'd felt of it since before her troubles had even begun. She liked it.

Rainbow Dash sighed, sitting down on her clouds and enjoying the feeling. She really didn't feel like anything else could make things better right now, even despite the fact that she certainly wasn't prepared to "come out" yet. That would have its time as well, she knew, eventually. But for now, she was fine still having it as her own little secret. In fact, she was so fine about everything, that she only smiled, completely unaware that she was in for a surprise that would already change the assumption she'd gathered a moment past.

And surprise her was indeed an understatement.

At the sound of large wings brushing the air in a stop above her, Rainbow's magenta eyes widened in slight confusion, but also in wonder. She knew that sound. But before she could even lift her head to see if the inkling was telling the truth, the familiar voice that broke the silence beat her to it.

"…Been a while, huh, Dash?"

Rainbow was hit with a state of complete shock as her eyes met the golden ones of the griffon she knew oh so well, as a partner in flight camp, and the oldest best friend she had. For a moment, she couldn't speak: her voice was completely caught in her throat. Quickly, though, she choked out the only reply that came to her mind, not caring in the least that it wasn't an answer to the question.

"GILDA?" she exclaimed in response.

As the Pegasus beamed one of the biggest smiles of shock Gilda had ever seen, she only laughed, and jumped down to the base of the cloud structure next to her. Though her own move was the slightest bit hesitant, Rainbow Dash didn't wait even a second to tackle her old friend in a joyous hug, nearly knocking her down with the gesture. Both of them laughed happily, overjoyed to see one another again, and honestly, it was almost as if the incident that had happened a few months back had never even occurred. Or if it did, it didn't matter. Once the hugging had ended, Gilda finally spoke again.

She said, "Your folks said I'd find you here, so…I decided I'd try my luck."

Rainbow still only grinned, just happy to see her again. She'd never dreamt to get a visit from her, though! And seeing her again finally had her realizing just how much she'd missed her over the months. She and Gilda had been best friends ever since their filly and chick years, and honestly, this was one of the longest times they'd ever been apart. Of course, it was only natural, given what had happened. Rainbow Dash, however, was fully prepared to put it behind them, just as they did everything else, and get back to the way things were. She answered, "Yeah. I live here now!"

Still a dumb thing to say. The griffon raised a brow as she gave an awkward smirk; obviously she already knew that little piece of information. And also realizing it, Rainbow also stifled her own laugh, and looked away a moment, a small blush coming to her cheeks.

"Yeah," Gilda chuckled after the pause. She tried to break the weirdness they'd fallen into. "…Well it's good to see you're doing alright."

Rainbow's smile returned, and she replied, thankful for the break. "I'm doing great! …It's great to see you again, too, G."

At the response, Gilda immediately met Rainbow's happy gaze. Her own gaze was of slight confusion, but she still understood. She knew the pony hadn't misheard her statement, only assumed what she'd meant by it. Usually she was right. But hearing it now only made Gilda stiffen just a bit. She hesitantly looked away again in silence. They were right back to the awkwardness. Gilda couldn't help it, though; she'd no idea how to word the truth that she really _was _a little gladder to see that Rainbow was doing well, rather than simply seeing her. And naturally, it didn't take Rainbow Dash long at all to sense the vibe change that had taken place so quickly in her friend.

"…G?" she asked, almost cautiously. The tone was also sprinkled with a bit of worry.

Gilda looked back to her at the inquiry, still tense, but at seeing Rainbow's expression, she did her best to relax. She let a small smile grace her beak again and shook her head as a sign that her weirdness could just be ignored. "Sorry. Yeah. I missed ya."

But Rainbow wasn't taking that as an answer. She knew the griffon better than anyone, and far well enough to tell when something was up. Though she was often willing to let Gilda have her secrets and deal with her own issues quietly, this time was different. They'd been apart for months! Now that they were finally together again, all Rainbow Dash wanted was for things to be like they'd been before. They were still best friends! That definitely hadn't changed for her.

She hesitated. "…Gilda, what is it?"

"It's nothing, Dash!"

But it was. They both knew she was lying. So finally, with a sigh, and a nervous half-shrug, golden eyes again averted, Gilda corrected herself. "…We're okay…right? After you…"

She trailed off, closing her eyes and stifling an annoyed grunt. Gilda had never been one with words, especially not when it came to emotional shit like this. Perhaps her past had done it to her. Perhaps this one issue was simply more of a big deal to her than others. But she'd never been able to get it off her mind when her closest friend had left camp, and she'd never stopped worrying that things wouldn't be the same between them anymore. She'd avoided it for a while, as best she could, but in the end, she'd had to come find her. She loved her, after all. And she'd never meant to hurt her. If she had.

"…What?" Rainbow Dash finally asked, confused.

Gilda continued, echoing her thoughts. "…After you left…I… Dash…I'm sorry I… I shouldn't have…"

Realizing what she was getting at, the Pegasus' eyes widened. Gilda was blaming what they'd done on herself? That was sure what it sounded like. Rainbow was nearly in disbelief, especially given that she remembered her first time quite well, and she sure as hell remembered how completely willing she'd been to do it. That was what had brought all these troubles to begin with! Quickly, she responded, raising a hoof to show how crucial her next words would be.

"Whoa. G. You didn't…do anything wrong," she told her, getting eye contact before she went on, quite seriously. "…You know that, right?"

The griffon softened at the response, but moreso from the steady, promising look in the magenta hues she knew so well. She stayed silent a moment more, but finally rolled her eyes in slight annoyance with herself, as the smile came back to her beak. She knew Rainbow was right. But…still. "I know…but…I still…I just wanted to be sure. That's all."

Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh, also rolling her eyes. "G, I would _never _hold that against you. I'd never done it before, but I still totally wanted to. I practically asked for it!"

Gilda's smile only grew into a grin; yeah. She had. Maybe it really wasn't as bad as she'd worried after Dash had run back home. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but worry a bit, that perhaps she'd gone a little too far. She still wasn't completely convinced that she hadn't. But she'd definitely be able to tell if her friend was lying, or if she was troubled. Which, she wasn't either of those things. Thank Celestia.

"I should probably be thanking you," Rainbow continued, a bit sheepishly. "…Cuz well, I've pretty much accepted it now… I like girls."

The Pegasus could already feel her cheeks warming a little just from remembering how freaked out over it she'd been before. She shrugged, trying to ignore it. Gilda laughed quite loudly at the news, actually really glad to hear it, despite how funny it sounded now. Rainbow had really come a long way, and it was easy to tell she was reverting back to her old, cocky self more and more.

Gilda answered through a laugh, brow raised. "Oh really? And you're okay with this traumatic discovery?"

Also giving a giggle, Rainbow couldn't help but bop her friend with a hoof at the sarcasm and give her a funny look. She actually wasn't completely ready to face _everything _that came with it yet, but for the most part, yeah, she was okay with it. And despite Gilda's sarcasm, she replied with the truth.

"Yes," she grinned. "Besides. You were right. It's not a big deal."

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><p><strong>Haha, surprise! (: I was going to make you guys wait till next Friday, but... I can't begin to express how happy &amp; grateful I am for you guys getting me to 100 reviews. So, as a showing of my gratitude, I changed my mind, and decided to post this today. Thank you so, so much! And just in case you're wondering, NO, this isn't the beginning of Griffon the Brush-Off; this story takes place about two years BEFORE that, so, yeah. <strong>

**I forgot to mention in the last author's note, that one of my main goals and purposes behind writing this story, was to portray Rainbow Dash as a lesbian, in a more serious light. The jokes about her mane and tomboyish personality, well, they're funny to an extent; but it really bothers me that so many fans seriously use those jokes as their reasoning behind Dash's homosexuality. This is why I refrained from even mentioning them in this story, and it's also why I gave Rigel the rainbow mane as well: straight male, married, father, with a rainbow mane. Rainbow Dash is a lesbian, because she's a lesbian. And I wouldn't want her any other way. Hearts. **

**For those of you who've stuck around to read this, you get two more surprises:**

**1. The title of the upcoming sequel is "Of Freedom and Fanfare." Keep a lookout, or author alert me!**

**2. I'm sure a lot of you know SoundofRainfall, one of my most faithful reviewers, as well as one of my favorite authors here. Well, he and I have decided to do something crazy: we're collaborating to bring you an all-new fanfic, written by both of us, about the one and only Discord. If you're reading his story "Scented Venom," our collab is going to be...partially connected to it, but not completely. You'll see what I mean once we start writing. ;) If you're not reading it, I'd recommend doing so. We'll probably be posting it from my account, also, just to let ya know. So yeah, keep a lookout for that too, if you're interested! **

**And I guess this sums up my final oFaF author's note. Thank you again, to everyone, for helping me get this far! It's been a pleasure writing this story, and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. **

**As always, reviews are very appreciated! Stay tuned for future fanfics. (:**


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